How Barcelona plan to get rid of unwanted 'financial burden' Frenkie de Jong as midfielder's transfer stance finally shifts

Barcelona are willing to pay De Jong €18 million ($15m) in owed wages as long as the Dutch midfielder agrees to leave the club in summer 2025, according to Football Insider. The former Ajax man is the club's highest-paid player and is still owed a significant sum after deferring some of his wages during the Covid pandemic. Barcelona are now willing to pay up in a bid to offload De Jong, which would free up space on the wage bill and help them pursue "marquee signings" such as Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

De Jong's future at Barcelona has been the subject of speculation for some time. The midfielder has regularly been linked with Manchester United but has always made it clear he wants to stay at Barcelona. However, the report claims that De Jong "might" now be open to a departure, not least because he faces a fight to regain his starting spot. The Dutch star has been out of action since April with an ankle injury and has seen youngsters such as Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez and Pablo Torre star for the club over the last few months.

De Jong is closing in on a long-awaited return to action for Barcelona. Manager Hansi Flick told a press conference on Friday: "I liked what I saw in training. Gavi too. They are increasing the pace in training. Frenkie is close to returning. We will see what happens next week."

Barcelona have made a perfect start to the new La Liga season even without De Jong and a host of injured players. Flick's side have won their first seven games in a row and return to action on Saturday against Osasuna.