As per reports by Javi Miguel, FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has asked Frenkie de Jong personally to reduce his wages by half as he wants the player in his squad. It is also reported that de Jong is now open to the idea.
As per the report, Xavi and Frenkie met this week in a private meeting where they discussed the future of the Dutchman and the club. Xavi also emphasised that he is depending on the Dutchman and that he sees him as a valuable member of the team.
He also let the 25-year-old know that he can still develop and play in other areas outside midfield and that his goal is to give him greater importance in those roles, to try and get the best out of him.
The sources reported that both coach and player came out of the meeting satisfied and happy. With the signs pointing toward a positive outcome for both.
The Dutch midfielder has played in the last two games for Barça as a centre-back instead of midfield which does fall in line with what had been reported by Miguel.
While there have been very strong rumours regarding Manchester United and Barça having already agreed on terms to sign the midfielder, the board members including President Joan Laporta have strongly dismissed them as untrue.
The English club have been looking forward to signing the midfielder as their marquee signing this summer under former-Ajax coach Erik ten Hag. The club has pretty much had de Jong in its sights from day one of the transfer.
However, it looks unlikely the club will lay its hands on the midfielder if the recent reports are to be believed.
If the rumours about the 25-year-old taking the wage cut are true, this would open up a huge chunk of the wage bill for the Blaugrana as they look to strengthen the squad further for the upcoming season.