The Frenkie de Jong saga has grown so complicated that the mere mention of the Dutchman’s name encourages eye-rolls.
Barcelona wanting to sell the midfielder, and Manchester United wanting to buy him, has never been under much doubt, it’s just the midfielder’s own opinion which hasn’t been entirely clear.
Over the past week or so there’s been claims that De Jong is reluctant to give up deferred wages he’s owed by Barcelona. During the peak of their financial problems, when being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, De Jong agreed to a rewriting of his contract which would see him miss out on some money in the short term, and then get it back in the long term.
Unfortunately for Barcelona, it appears De Jong isn’t simply prepared to walk away from the money, especially given he hasn’t been that keen on moving anyway.
Mundo Deportivo now report Barcelona are ‘seriously’ considering leaving the player out of their preseason tour to the US. The flight takes off on Saturday, so at least it’s one part of this saga which can’t continue endlessly.
The Catalan club want De Jong to join Manchester United quickly, and he hasn’t shown signs of wanting to rush things. There’s big pressure being put on him, yet it’s worth noting there has been a backlash to that, with many around the Blaugrana feeling he’s behaved impeccably and it’s the club who should be questioned.
Mundo Deportivo suggest there could be information (or potentially propaganda, given how the saga has gone) shared from president Joan Laporta and director Mateu Alemany during Raphinha’s presentation on Friday afternoon.
