Barcelona decided to ‘keep’ midfielder despite ‘big money’ offers from Premier League – Laporta

Frenkie de Jong looked exit-bound for the majority of the summer transfer window, with Manchester United in pole position to sign him. 

The Red Devils had offered up to €85 million, including add-ons, for the player, and were later joined by Chelsea in the race. 

However, neither move transpired, with reports claiming that de Jong only wanted to succeed at Barcelona. Further, he was still owed money by the club as part of his deferred wages, which made his departure rather difficult. 

Today, speaking as part of the general assembly, club president Joan Laporta talked about de Jong, claiming that they had some ‘big’ offers from the Premier League. 

“We received many bids from Premier League for Frenkie, big money — but we decided to keep a quality player like FdJ”, he said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano. 

It was also reported that Barça were keen on selling de Jong due to his contract, which more than doubled his salary this season. 

The alternative, however, was to get de Jong to reduce his salary. That would allow the club to retain his services, while complying with Financial Fair Play. 

Laporta binned the rumours of Barcelona forcing de Jong to take a pay-cut, and threatening legal action. 

“We’ve never forced any player to reduce his salary, we’ve just asked in pacific way”, Laporta said. 

Whether or not it was Barcelona who ‘chose’ to retain de Jong, or the Dutchman who decided to stay will remain a mystery. 

It is well known, though, that the former Ajax man has lost his place in the starting lineup to Gavi. He was also injured during the previous week, missing games against Mallorca and Inter Milan. 

With the young Spaniard looking overworked and slightly out of form, de Jong has the perfect chance to climb back up on the ladder and convince Xavi ahead of a hectic calendar.