Barça vs Frenkie de Jong: the player neither wants to leave nor will he accept a pay cut

With the market nearing its close, the Frenkie de Jong case only gets more complicated for Barça. The player's entourage want nothing to do with the Spanish club as they feel Barça are using his new contract to put pressure on him, and have been prompt to sit on the case. De Jong has no intention of leaving or negotiating a salary cut since the club owes him money anyway. The midfielder's agents are furious that the player's new contract has been made public, and refuse to negotiate.

Barça had reportedly sent a written communication to the Dutchman in mid-July warning him that his renewal was possibly illegal and that they may pursue legal action. His agents saw this as a direct threat to the player, and an inadmissible pressure since Barça had had a firm offer from Manchester United to sign him. They see it as an attempt to force the player to leave the club, and, if not, to almost unilaterally reduce his salary.

De Jong has since been closed to negotiating an exit despite Chelsea joining United's interest, with both English clubs willing to pay him the salary he should receive at Barça. But the Dutchman has so far been unyielding. Regarding his pay cut, he has left everything to his agents, who have shown no predisposition to have any talks.

Both Joan Laporta and Xavi Hernández approached the player to try to reduce the tension. Both made clear to him that the club counts on him as a player, and that they do not favour a transfer even though the offers are rich. In these conversations, he has also been requested to rethink his stance on his salary, for the sake of the club. The Dutchman has so far not indicated that he wishes to do so.

Barça maintain that De Jong's salary for this season is not affordable due to the salary cap. The Dutchman remains entrenched, and the stalemate continues.