Barcelona may be forced to sell Frenkie de Jong as La Liga reduce salary cap by more than half

Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United? | Imago

Barcelona may be forced to sell Frenkie de Jong as La Liga reduce salary cap by more than half

Ayoola Kelechi 21:14 - 14.09.2023

The Blaugrana could forced into key sales to balance the books as LaLiga tighten their financial belt

Barcelona’s financial troubles have reared their ugly head again as the club could now be forced into some fire sales to stay within their new salary structure as mandated by LaLiga. 

Barcelona facing more financial hardship

The league announced new salary caps for the new LaLiga season, ascribing to each club an arbitrary amount for club salaries that serves as a cap. 

Real Madrid received the largest wage cap, with Los Blancos able to freely offer salaries up to €720 million for their squad, while their archrivals Barcelona were only given the third highest cap, which was almost €500 million less than the Galaticos’. 

Barcelona’s wage cap for the season, according to LaLiga, stands at €270 million, around €379 million lower than it was last season, leaving the Blaugrana needing to make tough choices including possible sales as their current wage bill is believed to be around €404 million. 

LaLiga President Javier Tebas | Imago
LaLiga President Javier Tebas | Imago

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has already admitted that Barcelona might need to sell some players to fit into the new structure laid down by the league, saying the only way that the Blaugrana’s situation can return to normal will be “if they sell a great player,” as “it would be a huge step for them."

Barcelona may be forced to sell key player Frenkie de Jong

The first player that comes to mind would be Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is currently the club’s top earner with a reported salary of €37.5 million per year going into the current season, almost 15% of the proposed salary cap for Barcelona. 

The Blaugrana could solve two problems with the sale of de Jong as the midfielder would certainly fetch a handsome price in today’s transfer market despite the club’s desperation. 

Barcelona could reduce their current wage bill significantly, and also get a windfall from the sale that would allow them more leverage with LaLiga. 

Premier League giants Manchester United are long-term admirers of the Dutch international and could be willing to return for his signature after initial rebuffs, with manager Erik Ten Hag a huge fan of the Barcelona midfielder. 

Erik Ten Hag and Frenkie de Jong at Ajax (ANP)
Erik Ten Hag and Frenkie de Jong at Ajax (ANP)

De Jong has been adamant about remaining at Barcelona and has cemented himself as part of Xavi’s plans, but might be forced to have a re-think if the club’s financial woes worsen. 

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