Frenkie de Jong 'willing to take pay cut to remain at Barcelona'

The Netherlands international has been at the centre of one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer, with Manchester United desperately attempting to bring him to Old Trafford.

Man United are believed to have already reached an agreement with Barcelona over a transfer fee, but the former Ajax youngster is still allegedly pushing to remain at Camp Nou.

De Jong was again a vital player for the Catalan giants last season, but the club are keen to move him on for financial reasons, as he is capable of raising a high transfer fee, and his exit would also free up vital space in the wage budget.

According to AS, Barcelona boss Xavi recently met with De Jong to inform the Dutchman that his only chance of staying at Camp Nou next season would be to accept a pay cut.

The report claims that Xavi told the former Ajax youngster that he still views him as an important player, but he would have to accept almost a 50% pay cut in order to continue at the club.

De Jong allegedly left the meeting 'satisfied', with reports indicating that he is prepared to accept a reduction in salary to continue at his "dream club".

"I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age. I just said it too. I've never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I've achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice," the midfielder told ESPN earlier this summer.

"You are always flattered when teams show interest in you as a player," De Jong also told reporters in June. "But I think I am at the biggest club in the world at the moment and feel fine there so there is no news."

De Jong made 46 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions during the 2021-22 campaign, contributing four goals and five assists in the process, while he has represented the team on 138 occasions since arriving in 2016, contributing 13 goals and 17 assists.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently insisted that the club had not accepted an offer for the Dutchman despite the speculation surrounding his future.

"Frenkie de Jong is our player, we really like him," Laporta told ESPN. "We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn't accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants. We need to clarify some aspects of his situation".

De Jong is currently with the Barcelona squad on their pre-season tour of the United States, appearing off the bench in their wins over Inter Miami and Real Madrid.

Despite their financial issues, Xavi's side have been able to sign Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha during this summer's transfer window.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the club are now in the driving seat to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla despite Chelsea allegedly coming close to completing the deal at the end of last week.