July 16, (THEWILL) – Frenkie de Jong is expected to travel with Xavi’s team on their preseason tour of the United States, according to Barcelona club president Joan Laporta, who has once more refuted claims that the Dutchman needs to be sold in order to meet Financial Fair Play rules.
De Jong wants the club to pay him £17 million in deferred salaries before agreeing to a move abroad, even as Manchester United and Barça have reached an agreement for a €85 million transfer fee.
Laporta had previously insisted De Jong was not for sale despite being open to doing so all summer. He reiterated this position after Raphinha was introduced as a member of the Barcelona team on Friday where he said: “It’s not true that we are forced to sell Frenkie de Jong, this is not correct. Frenkie’s trip to the US will be decided by Xavi…I understand that Frenkie will be on the US tour.”
But, Mateu Alemany, Club Director, acknowledged that players would need to be sold in order to meet La Liga’s stringent financial requirements as he declined to comment on De Jong’s prospective transfer to Old Trafford.
Instead, he said: “Frenkie is a very important player and we count on him. But we know La Liga’s Fair Play tells us to sell players. I can’t say more [on De Jong leaving for Man Utd].”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
