Barcelona’s Joan Laporta was speaking to the media during the club’s pre-season tour in the USA and issued a statement on the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga that is sure to irritate Manchester United fans.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Laporta was quoted as saying: “Frenkie is Barça player. We want him to stay, he wants to stay. We’ve received important bids for him but he’s our player.”
He followed up by reiterating: “You know the salary budget situation; so we will do our best to keep Frenkie at Barça… and I hope he’ll do the same.”
Joan Laporta on de Jong: “Frenkie is Barça player. We want him to stay, he wants to stay. We’ve received important bids for him but he’s our player”. 🚨🇳🇱 #FCB
“You know salary budget situation; so we will do our best to keep Frenkie at Barça… and I hope he’ll do the same”. pic.twitter.com/2wWcBN9uTk
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 29, 2022
Frenkie de Jong Wants to Remain at Barcelona
Extended Saga
The negotiations for the Dutch midfielder have been the biggest story of the transfer window, at least they have been since Kylian Mbappe decided to remain at Paris Saint-Germain. Erik ten Hag has been keen to reunite with the former Ajax man but as of yet, the player has yet to be persuaded to make the move.
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Some fans have asked if it’s time for Manchester United to move on from the player as both De Jong and Barcelona seem intent on keeping him in Spain this season.
Wants Versus Needs
While Laporta and co. may want to keep the 25-year-old in their squad they ultimately may not have much choice. With big-money signings like Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde, they may need to recoup some of that cash by selling their prized midfielder.
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In addition, the Catalan giants have their wage bill to keep an eye on. With the Lewandowski and Kounde arrivals, clearing de Jong’s wages from their books ultimately may be an enticing option.
