FC Barcelona threaten Frenkie de Jong with legal action over his contract amid Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United interest.
Frenkie de Jong has been informed by Barcelona that they wish to revert to the previous contract and deem his current one to be “illegal.”
The Catalan club believes that the conditions that the former board of the club imposed on him were unlawful and that this justifies taking legal action against everyone involved.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the club has now resorted to requiring players to renounce their previous contracts and accept new, lower salary terms.
Barcelona is experiencing severe financial difficulties, and they have been attempting to get out of them by either selling De Jong or coming to an arrangement with him on his compensation.
De Jong, however, is not prepared to agree to the terms because he wants to first recover the money owed to him by the team since he joined the team.
In July, Manchester United made an offer to Barcelona for De Jong, and that offer was approved.
However, difficulties on the player’s end, such as the unpaid money owing to him, have halted any transfer negotiations.
In a letter to De Jong dated July 15, Barcelona, citing sources in Spain, claimed to have discovered proof of illegal activity on the part of the parties who had signed his renewal on October 20, 2020.
This agreement reduced his income for the 2020–23 and 2021–22 seasons, which required €18 million to be distributed over the following four seasons. His contract was also extended for two additional years until 2026.
Frenkie De Jong is claimed to have received a letter from Barcelona last month informing him that the club has the right to file a criminal complaint against the player because of his alleged involvement with a group of persons who have been proven to be corrupt.
The Athletic further states that the prior board was confident in the validity of De Jong’s contract in 2020 and maintains that the agreement was made only with the concurrence of legal counsel and La Liga.
According to reports, Marc Andre Ter Stegen and Gerard Pique of Barcelona have started going through similar processes.
It has not yet been determined if the problems have taken on a legal character.
Meanwhile, Frenkie De Jong has always desired to remain at Barcelona, but given the situation, it appears that he will be forced to leave the team against his choice.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United are considering hiring him.
It is not yet known where he will play in the 2022–2023 season.
