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De Jong quizzed on Man Utd transfer links
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong has told the club he’s open to taking a pay cut in order to remain at the Nou Camp, according to reports. The Netherlands international remains a top transfer target for Manchester United. However, after months of intense rumours, there’s still no guarantee he’ll end up making the move to Old Trafford.
Manchester United first opened talks with Barcelona back in May, shortly after they confirmed Erik ten Hag as their new manager.
Yet while they’ve agreed an initial fee for De Jong, which is believed to be in the region of £63million, the midfielder’s future remains up in the air.
Barcelona owe De Jong a huge £17m in deferred wages after the Netherlands international agreed to take a pay cut shortly after the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.
But they’ve told the player to halve his salary, regardless of what they owe him, if he wishes to remain in Catalonia.
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong remains Man Utd's top transfer target (Image: GETTY)
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Ten Hag unleashed fury on his squad after Manchester United squandered a two-goal lead in their latest pre-season fixture against Aston Villa.
And, now, Spanish newspaper AS claim De Jong is ‘open’ to taking a pay cut in order to ensure he stays at the Nou Camp.
Over at Barcelona, the 25-year-old earns close to £360,000-a-week - making him one of the best-paid players on the planet.
Barcelona decided to give De Jong a huge salary upon landing him from Ajax back in the summer transfer window of 2019 in order to fend off interest from the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who were also keen to secure his signature.
The report says that, this week, Xavi has talked with the Dutchman.
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is open to taking pay cut as Man Utd hover (Image: GETTY)
Meanwhile, as well as United, Chelsea have been linked with a move for De Jong amid the uncertainty over his Nou Camp future.
And Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks the midfielder would be wise to choose a switch to Stamford Bridge instead of Old Trafford this summer.
“I’ve been talking about Manchester United not being as much of a pull for a while now and their fans don’t like it. They can’t handle the straight facts,” he said.
“De Jong, if he’s leaving Barcelona, he does not want to go to Manchester United. There are quotes that have come out that he would rather Bayern Munich, he would rather Chelsea.
“Because if I’m choosing a team in the Premier League and I’ve got the chance of Chelsea or Manchester United, I’m choosing Chelsea.
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Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong remains Erik ten Hag's top target at Man Utd (Image: GETTY)
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“I’m in London, I’ve got Thomas Tuchel who’s won the Champions League recently, you’re playing Champions League football this season, you’ve got a better squad of players.
“Manchester United have got [Cristiano] Ronaldo who doesn’t want to be there, he’s not turned up for pre-season.
“You’ve got players that aren’t performing. You’ve lost top players like [Paul] Pogba.
“They’ve got problems and it’s going to take them a while to get a chance of winning the Premier League or the Champions League.
“Does De Jong want to go from Barcelona, who will be playing Champions League football, to Manchester United, who aren’t going to be?”