BARCELONA midfielder Frenkie de Jong has hit back at critics who claim he is refusing a wage cut.
The 25-year-old Dutchman agreed a £400,000-a-week salary when he joined the Catalan giants back in 2019.
He then penned a lucrative two-year extension during ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s spell in charge of the club.
But Barcelona’s crippling financial crisis resulted in De Jong being forced to take a wage reduction in each of his first three seasons.
It means they are now required to pay those deferred wages to the player on top of his existing salary.
As a result, De Jong, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, will earn £16.8million net this season, followed by up to £21m in the following campaign – figures which include £17m worth of deferred payments.
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And the midfielder has now set the records straight on the controversy surrounding his salary packet.
Speaking to TV NOS, via Mundo Deportivo, De Jong said: “There have been many lies and falsehoods spread about my salary.
“In each of the first three years I played here, I cut my salary. Eventually the money comes back, and it comes on top of my normal salary, so it looks bigger.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand this, but the figures the media are spreading are false.”
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Barcelona wanted to sell De Jong in the summer to alleviate their economic strain and enable them to register their host of new signings.
But the former Ajax man made it clear his desire to stay at the Nou Camp, despite strong interest from Man Utd and Chelsea.
And he recently revealed he felt during the transfer window that the club were trying to force him out the door.
Last week, De Jong told Ziggo Sport: “I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period.
“I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would start to come.
“Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay at Barca so it never baffled me.”
De Jong has started four of Barca’s eight LaLiga matches so far this season – including their 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday.
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But it has been reported that he remains “disgusted” by his role in Xavi’s side, with competition rife alongside the likes of Sergio Busquets, Gavi, and Pedri.
And that discontent in Spain could finally see him depart in the coming months.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
