Why Frenkie de Jong is demanding massive compensation to join Man Utd
Robin Bairner
- 6 Jul 2022 12:02 BST
- 3 min read
Frenkie de Jong’s transfer from Barcelona to Manchester United continues to make slow progress, with a quirk in his present agreement at Camp Nou proving to be something of a sticking point.
The basics of a deal are thought to be in place between the two clubs, but the personal situation of the Netherlands international is complicating matters.
It is his current contract with Barcelona that is the issue, with president Joan Laporta having previously admitted that “there’s also a salary issue and that would have to be adjusted” if the player were to remain at Camp Nou.
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While it initially seemed that this was placing responsibility for the deal in De Jong’s hands, it is a little more complicated than that.
Marca reports that the midfielder does not want to miss out on what Barcelona owe him. Unfortunately for both Manchester United and Barca, this amounts to a huge amount of money.
How much to Barcelona owe De Jong?
The Madrid-based paper reports that De Jong agreed to restructuring his salary during the Covid-19 pandemic to help ease Barcelona’s financial concerns. This meant that he drew a wage of just €3 million during the 2020/21 season and €6m in the following campaign.
However, under the terms of his contract, De Jong was expected to receive a huge salary in the final two years of his current deal. It is reported that he expects to warn €18m in the coming season and €19m in the 2023/24 campaign. Clearly, this is extraordinary money that would place him among the top earners even at a club like Man Utd.
The report goes on to state that if De Jong does leave for Old Trafford, it will not be for those wages. Nevertheless, he is said to want compensated for any money that he misses out on, which promises to be an expensive business for Barcelona and means that his transfer to Man Utd remains tangled in a complicated web.
