Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

So he might ride out this year with little/no game time this year, during the WC, take a risk that next year when Busquets leaves he takes that position (despite him not being a DM like Biscuits), with Nico a much better option for that position, and he can then fight it out with Pedri, Gavi (who is a year older), Kessie, and any new midfielders they dare to buy?

I’m not quite sure you realise just how many days of sunshine they get there fella.

 

[MackRobinson]

Or maybe, considering their financial position, how the player likely already feels cheated, how they’ve taken in 500m and are spending like a kid in a sweet shop, and are going to receive 80m + for the transfer; the player and agent are saying “feck you, we want it directly from the transfer fee, in one lump sum”.

I basically said that in the part you didn't quote, but it doesn't change the fact that if De Jong really wanted to move to happen, it would. Either he wants to stay, or he cares about getting his 17M upfront more than coming to United.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I basically said that in the part you didn't quote, but it doesn't change the fact that if De Jong really wanted to move to happen, it would. Either he wants to stay, or he cares about getting his 17M upfront more than coming to United.

Or, there’s plenty of time still to play hardball.

Doesn’t have to be United, could be other clubs too, but hardball is still his best way to ensure he gets as much as possible, as soon as possible.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

And we still have no idea how much the player is actually asking for, considering this season and next season he is due a combined 13 million in loyalty bonuses, he may well, along with his agent be holding out for something stupid like 25 million.

I would as an agent, they are trying to get out of an 80m contract with him, and will receive 80m + in transfer fees, and they are desperate to sell. I’d be taking them to the cleaners

 

[Hoof the ball]

This thread is a bit like us trying to pull Artax the horse out the sinking mud.

 

[Highfather_24]

They’ve added about 1m /week in new wages to the wage bill.

And yes, any club selling over 2bn + of tv rights for a quick 500m is skint as fook, and desperate.

If that is so, that means he prioritizes playing at his dream club over money. Its stupid for sure, but it shows loyalty, to a fault. Cannot call it lack of ambition, when Barca are more likely to win silverware, and are actually in the CL.

If he was doing the same thing at Arsenal, okay you would have a point. Most people would see moving from Barca to United as a step down. So saying he lacks ambition, doesnt make sense to me.

 

[MackRobinson]

Or, there’s plenty of time still to play hardball.

Doesn’t have to be United, could be other clubs too, but hardball is still his best way to ensure he gets as much as possible, as soon as possible.

He seems more concerned about using that time to play hardball than moving on to a new club and getting ready for the upcoming season...

 

[Brownie85]

And we still have no idea how much the player is actually asking for, considering this season and next season he is due a combined 13 million in loyalty bonuses, he may well, along with his agent be holding out for something stupid like 25 million.

Yup that's the thing with this whole transfer, we really have no idea what's going on. What's truth, what's lies, what's just pure absolute shite (Well we know that's whatever Sport prints). It's just absolute speculation for the most parts

 

[the_cliff]

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[sglowrider]

One scenario which I've not seen mentioned in the 43,000 posts yet (if it has, feck it I'm gonna say it anyway) is this:

- Barca may well have already offered FDJ the £17m deferred wages if he accepts to leave
- Despite this, FDJ may well have still refused to leave
- We can't underestimate the factor and influence lifestyle and family will play in a players decision. For some players its more important than others. He and in particular, his wife may love the life in Barca in that FDJ would be willing to put that as a higher priority than his footballing career.
- For his wife, it's either a beautiful place to live with great lifestyle in Barca, to coming to Manchester which isn't even a comparison. Especially with the grim weather. The footballing side doesn't affect his wife, only FDJ.
- This scenario would tie in with what Graeme Hunter said on Talksport in that the rumour Barca don't want to pay what he's owed is complete nonsense. He said Barca are happy to pay it.
- As this prolongs further, I'm of the opinion that he's been offered the money he's owed and he's refused and insisted he still wants to stay regardless of limited playing time. So that leads on to his contract if he stays. Barca obviously want him to reduce his wages and he's probably insisting he's doing nothing wrong by sticking to his original contract which he's completely entitled to. He's probably thinking if I'm going to stay and sacrifice a chunk of my footballing career, I'm going to at least take some big money home.
- Ultimately, I think he may end up staying and accepting a reduced contract near the end of the window.

And you think he has not bothered to tell ETH if he's been paid and doesn't want to leave/plans on staying? Or at least his agent would tell United and RTH. He has to maintain a good relationship with United after all considering he has clients being paid by United.
And Xavi is trying his hardest to tell Frenkie he has no role in the starting 11?

 

[elmo]

I basically said that in the part you didn't quote, but it doesn't change the fact that if De Jong really wanted to move to happen, it would. Either he wants to stay, or he cares about getting his 17M upfront more than coming to United.

It’s 17m not $17

Why the feck would anybody give that up willingly.

 

[Brownie85]

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How can you be in pole position if you've made no bid and showed no further interest. Why are Barca so intent on this Chelsea info being out there

 

[sglowrider]

The truth is Barca have shown more ambition in the market this window, and are actually in the Champions League. As any top player would, he backs himself to get back in the 11.Most players would prefer that, than playing at United, who have not won any trophies in the last 4 years, and have a very spotty record at getting CL places. I totally get why he would prefer to stay at Barca, rather than "give up" and move to Utd.

We were not able to wrap other deals early in the window, because apparently we needed to know De Jong's price first, according to posters here. If that is so, that strategy has failed spectacularly, as most people here predicted. Now the season is gonna start in a week, we are no closer to De Jong, and other clubs are less willing to sell players(like Antony). Most other viable targets have already moved, we have not strengthened in areas we desperately needed(RB, RW, CF, DM), while Don Murtough is sitting with his dick in his hands. Shambles.

You forgot to add 'embarrassing' to your self-loathing rant.

 

[the_cliff]

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No to a salary reduction.

 

[sglowrider]

How can you be in pole position if you've made no bid and showed no further interest. Why are Barca so intent on this Chelsea info being out there

They want us to chip in the missing £17million or maybe want Frenkie to squeeze that out of us in his salary package.

 

[kirk buttercup]

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No they are not. Utter BS

 

[Cypriot]

Dont take it personal bud, its not your fault our club is run by incompetent people. You can either accept the situation as it is, or keep your head in the sand. I have not been following the De Jong saga for the last few days, because its been increasingly apparent that its not gonna work.

There is no random scenario being created. The truth is the season is about to start, we have not strengthened in key areas, and have wasted most of the window after a player we will probably not get. I still think we will have a good season ahead, but Murtough and co have made things a lot harder for ETH.

Why have you ignored the point I made where everything you said was completely false? There's literally no proof to anything you said. You're just being negative for the sake of being negative - it's tiring.

I'm not taking anything personally. I'm not blind to the fact that we're not the best run club in the world, and that we have bad owners. I'm also not that bothered whether De Jong comes or not because there will always be more players. But I'd love for you to actually address that everything you said was false and maybe counter, instead of just re-iterating a vague point that you're not happy with this deal not being done yet.

There's a lot of transfer window left.

 

[Mickeza]

If he’s rejected a salary reduction and it’ll be resolved in the coming days it looks like they’re paying him off

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

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No to a salary reduction.

Quell surprise. They are in pole position to take Barca to the fecking cleaners

 

[Brownie85]

If he’s rejected a salary reduction and it’ll be resolved in the coming days it looks like they’re paying him off

Or as discussed he can stay on his current deal, tell them "not my problem", put his fingers in his ears and plod on. He'd become hated beyond belief but its an option. So very unlikely but still

He's coming though, it's looking likely anyway

 

[Mickeza]

Or as discussed he can stay on his current deal, tell them "not my problem", put his fingers in his ears and plod on. He'd become hated beyond belief but its an option. So very unlikely but still

The doesn’t resolve the conflict though.

 

[TheReligion]

So he doesn’t leave Barcas bench to sit on another..

Chelsea have Kovacic, Kante, Gallagher and Jorginho.

Bayern?

 

[Wicked_Badger]

It’s 17m not $17

Why the feck would anybody give that up willingly.

Yeah, I really don’t think some people rate how much money that actually is. Mental that people think he should just forget about it.

 

[Massive Spanner]

So he doesn’t leave Barcas bench to sit on another..

Chelsea have Kovacic, Kante, Gallagher and Jorginho.

Bayern?

If Bayern swept in we'd be in trouble. They just signed De Ligt too

 

[Blood Mage]

How can you be in pole position if you've made no bid and showed no further interest. Why are Barca so intent on this Chelsea info being out there

More likely to be Frenkie's agent putting that out there in the hopes that Chelsea or Bayern make a bid.

 

[#07]

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No to a salary reduction.

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Yeah I just saw that on the English feed.

Feels like this could go the way of Bale at Madrid.

Barcelona cannot force him to take a pay cut and they cannot force him to leave. De Jong knows he's going to be picked for Qatar 22. So, even if Laporta says he will be totally frozen out, he can stick around at Barcelona as long as he turns up to training and fulfills his contractual obligations.

It really is on Barcelona to decide what it wants to do. Does it give De Jong a big enough severance pay that he finally agrees to leave? Does it just accept he ain't going nowhere and pull the so-called third lever?

 

[TheReligion]

If Bayern swept in we'd be in trouble. They just signed De Ligt too

Who do they have in CM?

 

[2ndTouch]

If Bayern swept in we'd be in trouble. They just signed De Ligt too

Another transfer of that calibre has already been ruled out by our board. The budget isn't there, and although he certainly would fit our system, playing him alongside Kimmich would be somewhat like trying to have Gerrard and Lampard on the pitch.

 

[MF1138]

One scenario which I've not seen mentioned in the 43,000 posts yet (if it has, feck it I'm gonna say it anyway) is this:

- Barca may well have already offered FDJ the £17m deferred wages if he accepts to leave
- Despite this, FDJ may well have still refused to leave
- We can't underestimate the factor and influence lifestyle and family will play in a players decision. For some players its more important than others. He and in particular, his wife may love the life in Barca in that FDJ would be willing to put that as a higher priority than his footballing career.
- For his wife, it's either a beautiful place to live with great lifestyle in Barca, to coming to Manchester which isn't even a comparison. Especially with the grim weather. The footballing side doesn't affect his wife, only FDJ.
- This scenario would tie in with what Graeme Hunter said on Talksport in that the rumour Barca don't want to pay what he's owed is complete nonsense. He said Barca are happy to pay it.
- As this prolongs further, I'm of the opinion that he's been offered the money he's owed and he's refused and insisted he still wants to stay regardless of limited playing time. So that leads on to his contract if he stays. Barca obviously want him to reduce his wages and he's probably insisting he's doing nothing wrong by sticking to his original contract which he's completely entitled to. He's probably thinking if I'm going to stay and sacrifice a chunk of my footballing career, I'm going to at least take some big money home.
- Ultimately, I think he may end up staying and accepting a reduced contract near the end of the window.

Sounds like a fairly unlikely scenario that doesn't really fit what the majority of sources are saying. Do you not think if Barcelona offered him the money they'd be telling everyone because as it stands anyone who isn't a Barcelona fan thinks they're assholes for not paying it.

I also doubt de Jong is naive enough to believe he can stay there on his current wages without there being a lot of friction. The club can't afford to have him on those wages and would likely do everything in their power to make him change his mind by the next window. His missus may not enjoy the Barcelona lifestyle very much if they're pariahs.

And him taking a pay cut to stay just seems like the least likely thing a professional footballer would reasonably do to the point it would make him one in a million.

Brinkmanship may see it strung out to January, but I don't think he'll be a Barcelona player long after that.

 

[Acquire Me]

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Yeah I just saw that on the English feed.

Feels like this could go the way of Bale at Madrid.

Barcelona cannot force him to take a pay cut and they cannot force him to leave. De Jong knows he's going to be picked for Qatar 22. So, even if Laporta says he will be totally frozen out, he can stick around at Barcelona as long as he turns up to training and fulfills his contractual obligations.

It really is on Barcelona to decide what it wants to do. Does it give De Jong a big enough severance pay that he finally agrees to leave? Does it just accept he ain't going nowhere and pull the so-called third lever?

They can make him sit on the bench though.

 

[sewey89]

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Makes sense seeing as all 3 have agreed a fee.

Wait, what?!

 

[Raiden Shogun]

More likely to be Frenkie's agent putting that out there in the hopes that Chelsea or Bayern make a bid.

Yup, felt he was stalling for a CL club if he MUST leave, I think he'd be gone already if Bayern/PSG came in. His agent is clearly trying to drum up some interest amongst those clubs, would make no sense for Barca mouthpieces to write that as a transfer fee is already agreed.

Still think his main goal is to stay and it's not 100% about the money.

 

[the_cliff]

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Yeah I just saw that on the English feed.

Feels like this could go the way of Bale at Madrid.

Barcelona cannot force him to take a pay cut and they cannot force him to leave. De Jong knows he's going to be picked for Qatar 22. So, even if Laporta says he will be totally frozen out, he can stick around at Barcelona as long as he turns up to training and fulfills his contractual obligations.

It really is on Barcelona to decide what it wants to do. Does it give De Jong a big enough severance pay that he finally agrees to leave? Does it just accept he ain't going nowhere and pull the so-called third lever?

They keep saying it's still down to the player but I highly doubt FDJs agent would tell Barca he's not taking a pay cut without Frenkie's knowledge.

 

[yellowandgreens]

Saw this in the rag press, but thought it made sense.

Utd loan De Jong for 12 months with option to buy.

Barca clearly want rid, gets him off their wage book and gives De Jong a year to see how it goes at Utd, do we make Champions League etc. he will want to be playing regular football in a World Cup year so no point staying where he wont be playing in his best position

 

[OrcaFat]

One scenario which I've not seen mentioned in the 43,000 posts yet (if it has, feck it I'm gonna say it anyway) is this:

- Barca may well have already offered FDJ the £17m deferred wages if he accepts to leave
- Despite this, FDJ may well have still refused to leave
- We can't underestimate the factor and influence lifestyle and family will play in a players decision. For some players its more important than others. He and in particular, his wife may love the life in Barca in that FDJ would be willing to put that as a higher priority than his footballing career.
- For his wife, it's either a beautiful place to live with great lifestyle in Barca, to coming to Manchester which isn't even a comparison. Especially with the grim weather. The footballing side doesn't affect his wife, only FDJ.
- This scenario would tie in with what Graeme Hunter said on Talksport in that the rumour Barca don't want to pay what he's owed is complete nonsense. He said Barca are happy to pay it.
- As this prolongs further, I'm of the opinion that he's been offered the money he's owed and he's refused and insisted he still wants to stay regardless of limited playing time. So that leads on to his contract if he stays. Barca obviously want him to reduce his wages and he's probably insisting he's doing nothing wrong by sticking to his original contract which he's completely entitled to. He's probably thinking if I'm going to stay and sacrifice a chunk of my footballing career, I'm going to at least take some big money home.
- Ultimately, I think he may end up staying and accepting a reduced contract near the end of the window.

I don’t think it’s a scenario that hasn’t been mentioned.

The most likely scenario, for me, is that, yes, he wants to stay and remain on his existing contract and collect all the dough that’s coming to him but Barca simply cannot afford that and they actually need the transfer fee from selling him. Therefore they will negotiate a sum of money that FDJ will accept to leave. You may be right that they have offered him £17m or whatever but if so it hasn’t been enough to persuade him as yet.

I still don’t think he’ll stay there because Barca want him off the books and need the transfer cash. I’m not sure what happens if he point blank refuses all offers and just sits tight but it’s obviously incredibly bad for Barca.

 

[bosskeano]

Hey Frenkie....this is how much we value you here at Barcelona. We're going to bring in Kessie to play CM while continuing to promote the youth players but we think you could be valuable as a ball playing CB but don't worry about us bringing in Christensen or spending 55m on Kounde as that is being done just to add to squad depth

 

[Shakesy]

This thread is a bit like us trying to pull Artax the horse out the sinking mud.

Hell yes!

 

[#07]

Another transfer of that calibre has already been ruled out by our board. The budget isn't there, and although he certainly would fit our system, playing him alongside Kimmich would be somewhat like trying to have Gerrard and Lampard on the pitch.

There's also the issue that Kimmich is better than De Jong. So, in reality, Bayern don't actually need De Jong. He'd be a rotation player and an expensive one at €85m.

They can make him sit on the bench though.

As I said, he knows he's going to Qatar22. So where's the problem for him? He might get tired of it eventually. However, Bale continued to star for Wales while being frozen out at Madrid. As long as he has Van Gaal's confidence, he has time to make up his mind. Maybe he sits it out for a season and gets bored of it next summer? No obligation on him to go anywhere right now.

They keep saying it's still down to the player but I highly doubt FDJs agent would tell Barca he's not taking a pay cut without Frenkie's knowledge.

It all depends on your point of view. De Jong could accept a smaller severance payment and move tomorrow if he wanted to. He doesn't want to. So then its up to Barcelona about what it wants to do. Dursun has communicated De Jong's point of view: He wants €17m to even consider going. If Barcelona wants De Jong gone its on them to cough up the cash.

 

[elmo]

Saw this in the rag press, but thought it made sense.

Utd loan De Jong for 12 months with option to buy.

Barca clearly want rid, gets him off their wage book and gives De Jong a year to see how it goes at Utd, do we make Champions League etc. he will want to be playing regular football in a World Cup year so no point staying where he wont be playing in his best position

Still doesn’t solve the sticking point which is the money he’s being owed.

 

[Rake]

I disagree.

A- Ronaldo had always been a quick fix which we will have to tackle either this year or the next. Surely the club can dig deep in their coffers to add a striker. After all they were able to find enough money for dividendinho

B- Ronaldo can either find a buyer or he's stuck with us. He can't really cause any concern else he risk being kicked out of the first team just months before the WC.

On that matter I'd bring in a striker on the cheap. If Ronaldo causes panic then he'll spend the rest of the season playing with youths. Then good luck for him finding a club willing to give him a good contract at age 38

I'm setting aside the Glazers. We can all agree that they could and should spend more. For the purpose of our discussion, let us accept that we have 120mil + sales.

A - I think the club counted on Ronaldo for the next season with plans for Martial to be sold and the money reinvested. Martial then impressed and showed willingness and we probably decided that we will try with them as our main strikers and strengthen other areas. Now Ronaldo wants to leave and we can't really make any money by selling him and no club is actually interested. A not unsettled Ronaldo was already a big unknown in terms of fitting in our system and actually fulfilling his tactical duties.Now the manbaby is actively trying to leave and his legendary "professionalism" is the only thing that gives us a glimmer of hope that he will try to perform.

B - Ronaldo is probably 100% starting for Portugal even if benched for 3 months. We can't afford to make him play with the youths because of his hefty wage. It is somewhat of a financial suicide. The situation needs to be resolved and quickly. I think it would be for the best if he bought out his contract. It will be easier for him to find a club that way and we will have some cash to reinvest.

If we sign FdJ, the well will be essentially dry. We still badly need a RW and a RB even before taking the striker situation under consideration.