Barcelona ‘threaten legal action over Frenkie de Jong’s 2020 contract extension’

Barcelona have reportedly told Frenkie de Jong that they want to rip up his current contract and revert back to the original terms he signed in 2019, alleging the lucrative deal handed to him by the club’s former board involved ‘criminality’.

De Jong’s future has been the subject of huge speculation this summer with the Catalan giants desperate to either sell the Dutch midfielder or come to an agreement over the £17million he is owed in deferred wages.

Barcelona are in desperate financial trouble and selling De Jong would ease some of that financial pressure, as well as allow them to pursue a deal for Bernardo Silva from Manchester City.

Barcelona’s board, led by president Joan Laporta (right), allege the terms given to De Jong by their predecessors involved criminality

De Jong has been warned that if he stays he either needs to take a pay cut, find himself used from the bench or at centre back

De Jong is wanted by Manchester United and the Premier League giants agreed a £63m deal with Barcelona last month but he has no intention of joining a club that cannot offer Champions League football.

Chelsea are also believed to be keen but Thomas Tuchel appeared to suggest that midfield was not a pressing issue for the club after his side’s 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

That has left Barcelona stuck with De Jong but, according to The Athletic, the club wrote to the player on July 15 to tell him that they ‘found evidence of criminal actions on behalf of the parties who signed his renewal’ in October 2020.

De Jong was given a massive two-year extension by previous Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and is due to earn €20m (£16.8m) net this season and as much as €25m (£21m) the following campaign with deferred wages factored in. 

Gerard Pique, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Clement Lenglet were all given new contracts at the same time and it’s claimed they are having similar conversations with the club.

De Jong’s new contract in 2020 was handed to him by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu

The letter reportedly says that Barcelona believe they are in a position to launch criminal proceedings to ‘ascertain where responsibility resides for the supposed wrongdoing.’

De Jong has already been warned that if he stays at Barcelona he either needs to take a pay cut or find himself used from the bench (as he was in Sunday’s friendly win over Pumas) or even as a centre-back (as he was on the US pre-season tour).

The club had hoped that the prospect of him not playing in his position in the lead-up to November’s World Cup would make the player crack but so far he has held his ground.

Threat of legal action could therefore be a ploy to get De Jong to revert to his original contract and keep him at the club.

It’s claimed the previous Barcelona board are ‘confident’ in the legality of the contract renewal signed by De Jong and that it was signed off by lawyers and LaLiga. 

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag desperately wants to bring De Jong to Old Trafford

Barca’s treatment of De Jong has been widely criticised. Gary Neville told the player to seek legal action and this week former Dutch goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus joined the attacks on Barcelona.

He said: ‘I can no longer listen to the slogan ‘Més Que Un Club’ (more than a club). Barcelona is a commercial monstrosity, in my eyes it symbolises everything that makes modern football so ugly.’

Waterreus added: ‘I hope he keeps his balance and stays unless they bully him further and wreck his own World Cup chances, in that case it would be better if he joined United.’

If Barcelona are successful in selling De Jong they will sign Silva from Manchester City. 

The financial gain will come for them with the wages because the City midfielder will earn a fraction of the Dutch international’s projected wages.