Frenkie de Jong to Man Utd: Could Barcelona’s financial crisis force a transfer?

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 5 Mar 2023 11:32 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United are ready to rekindle the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga of last summer, with The Guardian reporting that Erik ten Hag is once again making the Barcelona star his top priority.

United were involved in a lengthy tug-of-war with De Jong in 2022 that resulted in the player remaining at Camp Nou in a situation that did not necessarily suit either club.

While the Red Devils missed out on the midfielder they wanted, the Barcelona board missed out on a sizeable transfer fee and the opportunity to get one of their highest earners off their books as they sought to restructure their wage bill.

MORE: Man Utd obsessing over wrong Dutchman? Ex-Ajax star can be better than De Jong

De Jong, though, insisted that he would not leave Barca and frustrated the Catalan club by refusing a pay cut, despite even being threatened with legal action at the time.

Barcelona head coach Xavi, though, has been steadfast in his support of the player throughout the drama, and his belief in the 25-year-old has been justified by a succession of high-level performances from the Netherlands star this season as he has led his team to the top of La Liga.

The Spain legend, then, will be quite happy that, for the moment, De Jong has apparently not changed his stance over a possible transfer, although there are rumours that playing alongside Casemiro would be attractive for him.

Barcelona’s board, though, may be of a different opinion.

MORE: How will Man Utd line up with De Jong and Casemiro?

Could Barca be forced to sell De Jong?

The Catalans have been told they need to find €200 million in order to be able to sign players in the summer, which means that virtually their entire playing staff are on the transfer market for the right price.

Newcastle have been closely associated with a move for winger Raphinha, while there are also rumours that Ansu Fati could be off in the summer, with a string of Premier League clubs interested in a player who was once dubbed the heir to Lionel Messi at Camp Nou.

De Jong, though, would make a particularly attractive sale from a business perspective given his wage is out of step with Barcelona’s current structure and with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €52m, he is also one of the club’s most valuable assets.

Given his importance to Barcelona’s starting XI, other options will clearly be explored, but the financial blackhole that the Camp Nou outfit find themselves in may force their hand to sell De Jong at last.