Before the season opener, which the Catalans lost 3-0 to AS Monaco this year, members of the first team squad are traditionally introduced one-by-one….READ FULL ARTICLE...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
When it was De Jong’s turn, he was booed and whistled by some Culers alongside Clement Lenglet, with this probably a nod to the fact that they are among the highest-earning players in Hansi Flick’s team in 2024/2025 thanks to money that was deferred during the pandemic but which now must be paid on top of their regular salary as things stand.
A refusal to renegotiate said pay can be seen by some as De Jong and Lenglet standing in the way of Barca being able to sort out its Finanial Fair Play issues and perhaps make a play for Athletic Club’s Euro 2024 winner Nico Williams, who has a $68.3 million (€62 million) release clause that President Joan Laporta is struggling to raise.
AS writes, however, that De Jong is “beginning to be more of a problem than a solution at Barcelona” in more ways than one.
He has been out injured with an ankle knock since an April 21 edition of El Clasico against bitter rivals Real Madrid, which resulted in him missing the Netherlands’ impressive run to the Euros semifinals where Ronald Koeman’s men were beaten by eventual runners-up England.
He then came back to Barca from his holidays “clearly out of shape” and “continues to turn a deaf ear to any attempt by the club to regulate his contractual situation”.
Anonymous sources told AS that no one at Barca can predict when De Jong will be available to Flick again, who also has Pedri and Gavi out injured, with his attitude causing “bewilderment” while he seems to “be going at a different pace than the rest of his teammates”.
For example, Pedri is already back in training after a sprain in his left knee picked up at the Euros against Germany, but De Jong is about to complete four months out of action with a similar grade two knock albeit in a different part of his leg.
With attempts from Sporting Director Deco to reach out to his agent and negotiate a contract extension with deferred pay falling on deaf ears, there are reportedly “bad vibes” with De Jong who it is believed will run down his contract until expiry on June 30, 2026 and leave for free therefore putting himself in line for a huge payday….READ FULL ARTICLE
