The Man Utd-Barcelona row derailing De Jong’s transfer
FT Desk
- Updated: 12 Jul 2022 11:05 BST
- 3 min read
A row has broken out between Manchester United and Barcelona over money owed to Frenkie de Jong which has derailed the Dutch midfielder’s proposed transfer to Old Trafford.
De Jong agreed to defer a large portion of his salary during the Coronavirus pandemic in order to help the club as they were badly struggling financially, racking up debts of €1.3 billion.
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However, the 25-year-old did this on the understanding that Barcelona would pay him the deferred money during the rest of his contract, which expires in 2026.
De Jong is owed a whopping €28 million but Barcelona have made it clear that they have no intention to pay him the money if he signs for Manchester United.
Who will pay Barca's debts to De Jong?
Instead, Barcelona believe that Manchester United should pay him the deferred wages.
Man Utd have made it clear that they have no intention of paying off Barcelona’s debts to De Jong.
The player himself has also made it clear that he wants to be paid what he is owed.
This has proved a key sticking point in the negotiations to bring De Jong to Man Utd.
The two teams have already agreed a transfer fee that could reach around €85m.
However, De Jong is reluctant to move to Man Utd, both for the financial reasons explained above but also for sporting reasons.
Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, and De Jong wishes to play in Europe’s biggest club competition.
He is also unsure whether moving to a club that has not won the league for almost a decade – or any trophies at all for five years – would be a good career decision.
He also would like to stay at Barcelona, despite their attempts to push him out, as he considers them his dream club.
