Take a £6 million pay cut, Barcelona tells Frenkie de Jong

• Barcelona FC has told Frenkie de Jong that he can stay with the club
• But only if he takes a hefty pay reduction and settles for £6 million pay cut
• De Jong is  currently on Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s radar

Barcelona FC has told Frenkie de Jong that he can stay with the club if he takes a hefty pay reduction and settles for £6 million in deferred earnings.

After spending most of the summer as Manchester United’s top transfer target, the Dutchman has started to draw serious interest from Chelsea, where Thomas Tuchel is looking to bolster his midfield.

Throughout the summer, the Red Devils have been openly pursuing the Netherlands international, with Erik ten Hag eager to reunite with his former Ajax prodigy.

United’s offer of £72m was agreed upon for the player’s talents, but he was hesitant to leave the Camp Nou because his present team still owed him over £17m in salaries.

Frenkie de Jong. Photo/Barca Universal

Considering Manchester United’s recent performance, it was thought that De Jong wasn’t interested in moving there either. It was this that drew the interest of Chelsea, who are now rumoured to be willing to match the 20-time Premier League champions’ offer for the midfielder.

Offering Champions League football to a 25-year-old player may make the London club a more appealing option than their English opponents.

However, reports indicate that Barcelona has made an effort to keep the 44-time capped player. According to Sky, the Catalan giants would like to keep De Jong at the club if he settles for a pay cut and pays back £6 million in deferred payments.

Reportedly, De Jong’s representatives spent Wednesday in Barcelona attempting to negotiate a contract extension. The La Liga runners-up are $1 billion in debt and will likely have trouble registering their new players for the upcoming season.

The fact that the ex-Ajax player is rumored to be one of the best earners at the club gives Joan Laporta even more motivation to figure out his future. One of the quickest ways the club can start fixing their most pressing problems is by reducing or eliminating the player’s salary.

Xavi, the manager of Barcelona, has also stated his desire to keep the player but understands the club’s financial constraints.

The Dutch midfielder, who is 25 years old, and the Gabonese attacker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is 33, are both players that Chelsea are prepared to sign.

Frenkie de Jong. Photo/talkSport

Chelsea is very close to reaching an agreement with Barcelona on a transfer fee for De Jong that is greater than 80 million euros (or £67.6 million).

The Blues are still awaiting a decision from De Jong, who would rather transfer to Stamford Bridge than join Manchester United.

De Jong’s preference is to move to Chelsea. The Red Devils have not given up on getting De Jong, and they are convinced that he will come to Old Trafford after they handle the issue of the players’ deferred salaries with Barcelona.

However, the Red Devils have not given up on signing De Jong. Gerard Pique, a defender for Barcelona who is 35 years old and plays for Spain, has offered to play for free in order to assist the club in complying with the financial fair play requirements of La Liga and registering their new recruits.