Barcelona 'blame LaLiga financial rules' for their £70m De Jong price
Our hands are tied! Barcelona ‘blame LaLiga financial rules’ for £70m Frenkie de Jong asking price as Man United try to drive the fee down to secure Erik ten Hag’s No 1 target
- Manchester United remain in talks with Barcelona over Frenkie de Jong
- Holland midfielder is new manager Erik ten Hag’s No 1 summer transfer target
- Barcelona are demanding at least £70million for the former Ajax player
- They claim they are restricted by tough financial rules imposed by LaLiga
- United want to pay something in the £60m mark, with potential for add-ons
Barcelona ‘are blaming LaLiga’s unforgiving financial rules’ for their £70million asking price for Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong.
Talks between the two clubs are ongoing as United try to seal a deal for the Holland midfielder, who is new manager Erik ten Hag’s primary transfer target this summer.
United would like to pay in the region of £60m for De Jong, with the possibility of a further £5m in add-ons, but Barcelona wish to recoup as much of the £65m they paid Ajax for the player back in 2019.
Barcelona ‘are blaming tough LaLiga spending rules’ for the high asking price for Manchester United midfielder target Frenkie de Jong. Barca want £70million for more for the Dutchman
Erik ten Hag is eager for United to bring in De Jong, a player he worked with when at Ajax
And, according to ESPN, Barcelona are insisting they have little choice but to place a premium on De Jong because of league rules.
Barcelona’s financial issues are well-documented and they are subject to restrictions on spending after breaching their salary cap.
They can only reinvest in their squad a third of what they make through player sales or save in wages.
That’s despite members voting last week to free up cash by selling off a portion of the club’s television and merchandising rights.
De Jong, seen in Holland action this month, is in limbo as talks over this future continue
Barcelona paid around £65m for De Jong back in 2019 and would like to recoup all of that
If United have to meet Barcelona’s asking price for De Jong, it would put a significant dent in their summer budget believed to be between £100m and £150m after player sales are taking into account.
Their first priority is to address a long-standing central midfield issue with Ten Hag well aware of De Jong’s qualities having coached him at Ajax.
Christian Eriksen, who spent the second half of last season at Brentford and successfully relaunched his career after his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, is seen as an additional option rather than an alternative to De Jong.
In addition, United will look for a forward who can play right across the forward line with Ajax winger Antony a leading target.
Christian Eriksen has emerged as another midfield target for Manchester United this summer
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