De Jong won’t take a pay cut to stay at Barca, says agent
His agent is totally against a salary reduction. The final decision is in the hands of the player. Both Xavi and the club have made it clear to him that if he wants to continue, his salary must be reduced.
Frenkie de Jong will make one of the most important decisions of his life in the next few days. The Dutch midfielder already knows, through Xavi Hernández and the club itself, what conditions he must meet if he wants to continue at the club - a substantial reduction in his current salary, close to 12 million euros net. His agent, Ali Dursun, has been totally opposed to accepting any salary reduction and even considers that a form of “extortion” is being carried out on his client. For their part, the club is very clear: “Frenkie is not going to put the brakes on registering new signings, either he accepts the pay cut or he will have to leave.”
This obvious conflict of interest will have a resolution in the coming days. A transfer is still a viable option - with Manchester United and Chelsea the two favourites and Bayern Munich another possibility.
De Jong settled in Barcelona
But even though Barcelona and Frenkie’s agent are poles apart, the Dutch international is still considering his best option. The player is very clear that he wants to stay. Renovation work on in his house has only recently been completed and his partner is the most reluctant to leave the city.
Xavi has already told him that he is counting on him, that he considers him an important player for his project and that he still has a long way to go at the club, but if he wants to continue at Barcelona, he has to tighten his belt, as will the rest of the players in the squad whose pay packets exceed 10 million euros net per year. In Frenkie’s case, the salary scale offered by Barcelona is medium/high - around 7 million net, which could rise to almost 9 million if certain variables are met.