Lies have been spread about my Barca salary
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 and 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, meaning 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 £16.8m net this season, followed by up to £21m in the following campaign – figures which include £17m worth of deferred payments.
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.”