Frenkie de Jong finds himself in a much happier place now, a tumultuous window atBarcelona, where he was on the chopping block as one of the only players who could generate profit for the club during a dire financial situation.
Heavily linked to Manchester United and a reunion with his Ajax mentor Erik ten Hag, the Ԁєɑł did not go thɾօυɢҺ as the Red Devils couldn’t meet the 100 million euro valuation. However, de Jong stayed firm on his intention to continue withBarcelona.
Now, according to ɾєρօɾτs fromdiari ARA, the Dutchman is expected to earn a gross salary of 18 million euros, with an additional 10 million euros related to a loyalty bonus he signed, making him the highest-paid player in the squad, surpassing Robert Lewandowski.
De Jong proves his value
Barcelona aimed to generate a large surplus by selling de Jong and alleviate the tremєɴԀous pressure on their wage bill after inheriting massive contracts from Josep Maria Bartomeu’s tenure that were impossible to sustain.
However, de Jong has been deferred a large chunk of payments owed to him in the past, and on the field, has proved his undispitable value to Xavi’s sporting project. The midfielder was inarguably one of the club’s best players last season whereBarcelonawon the league and Super Cup.
What’s next?
After the departures of high-earning players like Piqué, Busquets, and Alba, whose contracts commanded substantial sums, newcomer Ilkay Gündogan is expected to be the next highest-paid player.
However, there is a snag in registering Gündogan, the former Manchester City captain, along with others like Iñigo Martínez and Oriol Romeu in the squad.
Barcelona must first reach the required salary cap set by the League before they can officially register these players to play. While the club has been working on sales and slowly recouping some cash, it remains to be seen how much de Jong’s situation could hamper expenses.
On a more positive note, though, the Catalans could be receiving a massivefinancial boost from Qatarthat could answer quite a large chunk of their problems. Watch this space.
