‘Lower your salary, p****’: Frenkie de Jong is abused by Barcelona supporters

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was abused by his own supporters outside the club’s training ground amid reports that he is refusing to lower his salary.

De Jong has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, although a report from Sport on Tuesday suggested that the midfielder is refusing to consider a move or accept lower wages to remain at Barcelona.

Barcelona fans were left angry by those suggestions and shouted abused at de Jong as he drove into the club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground. 

De Jong has been heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona in the transfer window

The abuse from fans came amid suggestions that de Jong is refusing to lower his salary

One fan was heard saying: ”Lower your salary, p****”.

On Wednesday reports emerged that Chelsea are close to agreeing a £68million deal for de Jong, although the 25-year-old must still decide whether he wants to leave Barcelona or take a pay cut to stay. 

It was previously reported that Barcelona had informed de Jong that they wanted to rip up his current contract and revert to his initial deal from 2019.

Barcelona discovered that de Jong’s current deal, which was given to him by the club’s former board, involved ‘criminality’.

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 £17m of deferred wages factored in.

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are looking to beat Manchester United to the signing of de Jong

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.

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 the midfielder to revert to his original contract and keep him at the club.

United have been linked with de Jong throughout the transfer window, with Erik ten Hag eager to be reunited with him after the pair worked together at Ajax.

However, the deal has so far failed to materialise, with Sport saying that Chelsea have now pressed ahead with their attempts to sign the 25-year-old, with Thomas Tuchel hoping for a deal to be done. 

Barcelona, who are continuing to endure financial struggles, are looking to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City and the sale of de Jong would help them to secure that deal.

Striker Martin Braithwaite was booed by Barcelona fans when he came on against Pumas UNAM last weekend due to refusing to lower his salary.