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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Alex Young

Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong booed by Barcelona fans as tensions rise over pay dispute

Barcelona fans booed Chelsea and Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong as tensions rise amid ongoing reports over his future.

United have been tracking the midfielder for months, with new manager Erik ten Hag making him his priority transfer target, and now Chelsea have joined the race and are hopeful of hijacking a deal.

Barca are keen to cash in on one of their prized assets as they look to raise funds amid a dire financial situation. To complicate matters further, De Jong is owed £17million in deferred wages after taking a wage cut to previously help the club financially.

De Jong is standing firm and wants to stay put, and a section of the club's fans are seemingly taken against this as they heckled the midfielder, demanding: "Lower your salary!"

The Dutchman is due £16.8m in wages for the coming season, and then £21m for the 2023-24 campaign as the club looks to reimburse the owed pay.

With the new La Liga season just days away, De Jong is now acutely aware of the discontent among the fanbase.

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