Now it’s De Jong’s fault - analysis of the midfielder’s move from Barcelona to Manchester United

If Frenkie de Jong doesn’t leave, if he doesn’t accept Manchester United’s offer, then Barcelona won’t be able to register Kessie, Christensen and Sergi Roberto for the moment. Interestingly, a number of media outlets colluded to publish the story at the same time; interesting because Laporta up to yesterday, while presenting Raphinha (and who knows how he it’s possible to register him) had said: “It is not It is true that the club is forced to sell Frenkie.” Just like that. This is how a story is tailored to try to make the club continue to look good: details are leaked to pressure the player to leave and on the other it’s all denied. It doesn’t wash.

De Jong being pushed out of Barcelona

De Jong is a marked man. It turns out that if he stays - which is an option because Manchester United aren’t in the Champions League and he is, or at least he was until two days ago, happy at Barça - he becomes a problem due to the heavy wage bill that is suffocating the club. In the year and a half that Laporta and company have had to find a fix, the amazing solution they have come up with is to sell De Jong to a team he doesn’t want to go to.

Treating De Jong badly

At the same time, in the presentation of each new signing, the Barça president insists on the idea that they were all Barcelona fans since they were little, including Dembélé and his agent, who have battled Barça while the world looked on. The idea is that the love for the Barça shirt, for the club’s history, for what it represents, the emotions, are the key. And it doesn’t wash. Because if that were the case, they wouldn’t be behaving with De Jong in this way, letting him be trampled on and even considering leaving him out of the tour of the United States.

If the model to be followed is Dembélé (who director of football Mateu Alemany wanted to get rid of in January, but was allowed to continue playing and has now just renewed with the enthusiasm of Laporta), De Jong could force the situation, not lose a euro of the salary that he has agreed with the club under contract and best of all, it is highly likely he would be a starter under Xavi. But in that case he’d be to blame for all the other problems. As would former president Bartomeu, of course. Those who would never, could never, be to blame are those who are in charge now. And it doesn’t wash.