Barcelona president Joan Laporta has admitted that Frenkie de Jong could still join Manchester United, although he deemed it unlikely.
An agreement in principle has been agreed upon for the midfielder but talks have seemingly halted since it emerged the Spanish giants owe the player €17m in wages. However, they are reportedly urging De Jong to take a pay cut with rumours that new arrivals Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha cannot be registered until he does.
The club is in masses of debt, which is why so many onlookers are puzzled about the amount they have splashed on summer signings. Many expected a number of key assets to leave in light of their financial troubles but their most notable departure so far is Philippe Coutinho, who permanently moved to Aston Villa for £18m.
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Meanwhile, De Jong has underlined his desire to stay at the Nou Camp, though Erik ten Hag is still adamant about chasing his signature. Laporta has remained steadfast in his belief that De Jong is going nowhere, but on Friday the cracks suddenly started to show.
The Barca president seemingly indicated that a United switch for the Netherlands international could still be on. When asked by CBS if he could ‘categorically’ confirm De Jong wouldn’t be moving to United, he said: "In football, you never know.
“It all depends on the different parties. I can say there is a strong possibility he stays and I will do my best for him to stay at Barcelona.”
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