In this sense, the transfer operation of Frenkie de Jong is absolutely essential. Even if Barça return the negative equity during this summer by activating more economic levers (BLM or more television), the sports area will continue to need a salary space to register new players in Xavi Hernández’s squad. The only nuance will be that if you do it with the restored patrimony, you will be able to dedicate the same amount that you have previously released (rule 1/1). Since the outbreak of the pandemic until now, and as he has not had enough income to make up for his economic hole, he has had to save in value between twice and four times what he wanted to discharge. A viacrucis, go.
It is in this urgent need that Barça’s interest in selling De Jong, a footballer with a market that is not essential enough in the coaches’ plans, is framed. Not at the level of Pedri González, for example. And even less to earn almost 20 million euros a year, emoluments that do not fit the paradigm of salary prudence that began to establish the former Barça general manager Ferran Reverter and that both Laporta and Alemany want to continue applying. ARA have been able to confirm that the operation to transfer the Dutch midfielder to Manchester United has entered the final stretch. It is not even ruled out that the final agreement will take place before this Thursday, June 30, the day on which the financial year closes. However, this is not the club’s priority, as the accounts will go green thanks to the sale of 10% of television revenue for 25 years to the Sixth Street investment fund, which also collaborates with Florentino Pérez’s Real Madrid .
Dembélé pendants
“We are close to closing the operation, but it will be a miracle if we do it in two days,” they admit from the Camp Nou about De Jong to this newspaper. Barça and United have been negotiating the terms of the transfer for days. Initially, the Barça club wanted to reach 100 million between fixed and variable, but has relaxed its position and will settle for a lower amount, between 85 and 90 in total. Of course, it puts the condition of exceeding 100 million by adding the salary that will stop paying a player who from this July went on to receive more than 19 kilos gross per course. This change in posture will affect the fair play generated: if the initial idea was to reach 60 million between capital gains and avoided wages, now the figure could drop to 50-55. In any case, the club will surely deposit, only in fixed transfer, a sum higher than what remains to be amortized from De Jong (60 million before June 30).
While Barça and United are trying to close a mutually beneficial agreement, the player remains hesitant. On the one hand, he feels that his chair has been being moved for weeks and this itches him to leave and prove that opening the door for him was a mistake. But, on the other hand, he has his life set up in Barcelona – he has just bought a house in Pedralbes – and he is able to succeed at the Camp Nou. He is also qualified to play a good role as Barça’s Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman’s contract expires this Thursday and both Xavi and Barça’s sports area are pressuring him to accept once and for all the renewal offer he has had on the table for some time. He would like to do so, but his chief representative, Moussa Sissoko, dissuades him from waiting for a better economic proposal for his interests. Meanwhile, possible destinations for the Mosquito are falling from the fictitious auction that is there to sign him. In Germany, Bayern have denied any interest. In France, three quarters of the same with Paris Saint-Germain. And time is running out.
