Man Utd transfer boost! Barcelona may have to sell De Jong & Fati after being ordered to cut wage bill by €200 MILLION

• Red Devils linked with Dutch midfielder in 2022
• Also keen on Spain international forward
• La Liga giants needs to cut costs

WHAT HAPPENED? Financial struggles at Camp Nou are well documented, with efforts to bring down a wage bill that had spiralled out of control contributing to Lionel Messi leaving Catalunya for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. It is now claimed that Barca need to trim a further €200 million (£177m/$215m) off their salary payments in order to comply with La Liga rules.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mundo Deportivo reports that several players may have to be offloaded in the next transfer window, including long-standing Manchester United target De Jong – who snubbed the chance to move to Old Trafford in 2022. The Red Devils have also been credited with interest in Spain international forward Fati, and the 20-year-old could come up for grabs as he is a big earner not guaranteed regular game time under Blaugrana boss Xavi.

AND WHAT'S MORE: De Jong is under contract at Barca until 2026, and is said to be in line for a further £78m ($95m), while Fati is reportedly earning £200,000-a-week and may be allowed to move on if a bid of around £90m ($109m) is tabled by any of his suitors.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Pep Morata

Getty Images

Getty

WHAT NEXT? Sergio Busquets is another player that Barca are reportedly prepared to part with, as the long-serving World Cup winner heads towards free agency, while the Liga giants are also willing to offload Jordi Alba, Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessie.