One of the biggest transfer sagas of this summer has taken a nasty turn after Barcelona fans hurled abuse at Frenkie de Jong as he arrived for training.
The Dutch midfielder has spent the past few months caught in an unfortunate situation. Whilst Barca splash large sums and contracts on new signings, Frenkie de Jong still awaits his €17 million in deferred wages.
But the Catalan giants do not want to pay their man. Instead, the club hierarchy asked De Jong to take a massive 40% pay cut to stay at Barcelona. Unsurprisingly, he initially turned this down, thus forcing Barca to try and sell their midfielder.
Barcelona also further complicated the situation by threatening legal action against De Jong over his existing contract, per The Athletic. The club claims that the Dutchman’s extension, which he agreed with the previous board, contains “criminal actions”. Therefore, it is void, and De Jong should revert back to his previous contract.
As a result of the financial disputes, any potential transfer away from Camp Nou is highly complicated. That has not stopped clubs from registering their interest, though.
Is De Jong Premier League bound?
Frenkie de Jong looks most likely to join a Premier League side, should he leave Barcelona. Manchester United agreed to a fee with the La Liga giants weeks ago; unfortunately, they are struggling to sort out personal terms with the player. This is because De Jong wants Champions League football, which United missed out on last season.
To make matters worse for the Red Devils, another club that did finish in the top four has joined the race. Chelsea have also shown interest in the Dutchman. However, they initially did not want to match United’s £63 million bid.
According to Sky Sports, the Blues are now ready to match that offer – whilst also offering Frenkie de Jong the chance to play in the Champions League. Barca may also like the prospect of a two-player deal, as Chelsea also want Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Despite clubs already sorting the transfer fee, Frenkie de Jong wants to stay at Barcelona, even if some of the fans don’t want him.
Barcelona fans abuse Frenkie de Jong
A recently circulated video on social media, via Spanish publication SPORT, showed Barcelona fans expressing their anger at Frenkie de Jong over the current situation.
The Blaugrana have had a brilliant summer; their club has made a number of signings, and the club seems much healthier than twelve months ago. Unfortunately, financial problems still remain. Frenkie de Jong’s actions could solve several of these issues, hence the anger directed at him.
Numerous clips online show Barca supporters shouting abuse and chasing the Dutchman’s car as he arrives for training. According to the Daily Mirror, people yelled, “Cut your salary, b***h” as De Jong arrived.
These ugly scenes will do little to support an already fractured relationship between player and club. Sadly, this saga shows no signs of reaching an end soon, either.
Barca kick off their La Liga campaign on Saturday night as they host Rayo Vallecano. The extent of Frenkie de Jong’s involvement remains to be seen, although he may not get a friendly reception.
Featured Image Credit: SPORT
