Frenkie de Jong remains at the center of a tense saga unfolding around Barcelona’s finances and wage policy. The squad reshaping story began to surface with fresh details reported by The Athletic, which claimed that on July 15 the club pressed the Dutch midfielder and his circle about a contract that allegedly relied on the old board and included salary deferrals tied to the pandemic. The report painted a picture of a club that insists portions of the compensation package should be restructured to align with the club’s current financial reality, and it described this as a clear signal that past agreements were not sustainable under the new economic framework. The Athletic surfaced the claim of a pre-renewal condition and questioned whether the club could honor the existing terms given the ongoing financial constraints.
According to the same account, Barcelona asked de Jong to nullify the renewal and return to the pre-renewal baseline to restore normalcy in the player’s situation. The Blaugrana side also signaled that it doubted the feasibility of discharging the present salary burden, signaling a broader effort within the club to recalibrate payrolls without compromising competitive balance. In parallel, officials signaled that certain measures could be taken to ensure the club’s financial equilibrium, even if that meant renegotiating terms that would affect the entire wage structure.
The Athletic further reported that Barcelona would pursue legal avenues if negotiations stalled, although the club’s preference remained to strike a new deal with de Jong. At this stage, both the player and his entourage were resistant to salary reductions, arguing that they had already made substantial concessions in the past and deserved a fair return for their past sacrifices. The club, meanwhile, continued to express a willingness to retain de Jong, but only if his personal and financial conditions could be brought into line with the club’s salary limits. There was also mention of the club pushing for contributions from other senior players like Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba to help widen the financial margin, a strategy intended to bring the total payroll in line with the club’s fiscal goals.
Should de Jong refuse to negotiate a reduction, Barcelona was reportedly prepared to open talks with other clubs that might be interested in acquiring his services. Chelsea and Manchester United were named as potential suitors, with the understanding that any move would require a clear sign of willingness from the player to explore new opportunities. For now, the Dutch midfielder had not indicated a desire to depart, keeping the situation stable while the club assessed its own salary cap and explored ways to secure a signing strategy that would not destabilize the broader squad. The evolving dynamic highlighted how the club was balancing the need to maintain a competitive edge with the imperative to restore fiscal health in a landscape shaped by post-pandemic constraints and ongoing league-wide financial scrutiny.