Barcelona threatens to annul Frenkie De Jong's contract; terms agreement 'illegal'

The saga involving Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong keeps taking exciting twists and turns with each passing week. The current Barcelona player is heavily linked to English giants Manchester United and Chelsea. Although he has preferred to stay at Camp Nou, it is believed to be mainly because of the £17 million the Catalans owe him. Also, it was reported that Barca agreed with United over his transfer. Nonetheless, the Dutchman continues to push for his stay, despite the Blaugrana reportedly asking him to leave, as the club wants to reduce its wage bill to fit in other players. Barcelona supposedly also asked him to lower his wage, which he is not agreeing to, making his stay with the club even more doubtful.

Meanwhile, as per The Athletic, Barcelona has informed De Jong that there was evidence of 'criminality' found in his contract from both his and the club's side when his deal was last extended in October 2020. The extension meant he would stay with the club until 2026 with a reduced wage for the 2020-22 seasons, while the difference would be made up in the upcoming years.

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De Jong's deal was similar to that of Gerard Pique, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Clement Lenglet. Therefore, Barcelona believes that specific laws were broken upon signing such a deal, with his contract likely being terminated. However, the club has seemingly also informed him to return to the similar contract he signed in 2019.

Per Barcelona's previous board, headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu, the contract was above the board, with La Liga and other legal parties giving the go-ahead with the deal. Regardless, club head coach Xavi and current president Joan Laporta have insisted that De Jong will likely stay and might not need further pay cuts. In contrast, inside reports from the club suggest a different story.