Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona and Manchester United - the transfer saga explained

For much of the year, Barcelona have been in the news for their financial turmoil than for winning trophies. The club reached its nadir when they had to let go of Lionel Messi. Somehow everyone expected the Catalans to get themselves out of growing debt which stood at €1.35 billion for the 2020-21 season. “Our salaries represent 103 percent of the club’s total income. That’s 20 percent to 25 percent more than our competitors,” club president Joan Laporta had said in a news conference in August last year. “We have found ourselves in a difficult situation to renegotiate the players’ contracts.” A closer look made it clear the astronomical salaries were a huge part of the mess. €390 million of the debt was linked to player salaries. There were salary cuts across the board with some even doing so twice over. Veterans Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto were among the first ones to accept a reduction in wages. One of the players to accept restructuring their salaries was Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch midfielder arrived in 2019 and signed a five-year contract . In 2020, it was extended until 2026. As part of the deal between player and club, De Jong decided to defer his salary payments to the tune of €17 million for the period of 2022 until 2026. And this remains the bone of contention even as Barcelona, Manchester United have reached an agreement over his move. What do Barcelona want? When Josep Maria Bartomeu flew to Amsterdam in 2019, the then-Barcelona president was hoping to convince the “new” Busquets to join them at Camp Nou. He agreed at €75 million (plus €11 million in add-ons) with a salary of €14 million. Three years later, Barca’s desperate attempts at adhering to LaLiga’s financial fair play rules and salary limits dictate De Jong’s future and not his box-to-box ability or his dribbling skills. The club listened to offers and has reached an agreement with Manchester United for €85 million . For the 26-time LaLiga champions, De Jong is a sellable asset. The issues though? De Jong doesn’t want to leave. To mock his loyalty, Barcelona have reportedly told him to forego the deferred salaries and sought a salary cut on top. What do Manchester United want? Man Utd have gone through the process of speaking to Barcelona and the clubs have reached a deal. To push through the deal, the Erik ten Hag-managed club has offered to pay €10 million upfront instead of going through clauses. That hasn’t helped the process along though. The stalled situation isn’t good for the club that is hoping to once again become competitive and vie for trophies after a disastrous campaign last season. As per The Independent, United can’t cough up the €17 million for both legal and tax reasons. It is also about saving face at the moment for United. They’ve been in conversation and working on this transfer for over two months now. The clubs have reached a deal but it is about convincing De Jong now. What does De Jong want? In the entire drawn-out saga, what has remained constant is De Jong loves Barcelona. He held a dream as a child to play for Barcelona - a city he travelled to with his family in his younger years. He has been clear he wants to stay. The 25-year-old Dutchman has travelled to the USA for the pre-season tour and was all smiles during their win over Inter Miami. On Instagram, he liked a comment from a Barca fan that read: “I dislike the way we have handled Frenkie’s situation.” Despite the financial chaos at Barcelona and the lure of working with former manager Ten Hag, De Jong wants to stay put in Barcelona. What have the concerned parties said? Officially, Barcelona have said De Jong is still in their plans and his fate will be decided by manager Xavi. “We are not obliged to sell De Jong and I understand he is going on tour,” said Laporta when Raphinha was presented. “It’s up to Xavi to decide, but he will go.” Mateu Alemany, director of football, provided a clearer look at Barca’s vision. “He is important for us. We count on him. But we know La Liga’s Fair Play tells us to sell players. I can’t say more,” he stated. In an interview with ESPN, Ten Hag said, “We are looking for a player who can play in the holding midfield position, but it has to be the right one. There are not many in that position capable of the level we demand. When we can’t find him, we have to deal with the players in our squad now and we will develop one in that position.” Why are Barcelona willing to sell De Jong at all? Money. To sign the likes of Robert Lewandowski for €45 million (which can go to €50 million) and Raphinha for €58 million, Barcelona have to free up cash. And that sort of money can only come in by selling the likes of De Jong, Memphis Depay, Ousmane Dembele, Ronald Araujo. At the same time, Barcelona’s willingness to sign Lewandowski and Raphinha, while fending off other top European clubs, is what potentially makes De Jong not want to leave or buckle down on the deferred payments. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.