Frenkie de Jong, a former target of Chelsea, has accused the Barcelona board of leaking information about his contract over the summer. In the summer, as the Spanish powerhouses sought to find a solution to their financial problems, the 25-year-old midfielder was extensively connected with a transfer to the Premier League.
Football.london has learned that Chelsea has been interested in acquiring the Dutch international for a number of years, but despite having formerly been confident in doing so, a transfer away from the Camp Nou has not yet taken place. The Dutchman reportedly held negotiations with the Blues about a prospective transfer to Stamford Bridge as former manager Thomas Tuchel sought to strengthen his midfield with more inventiveness.
One important aspect that fueled rumors thatDe Jong, who sees his contract at Barcelona expire in 2026, would leave was the dispute in wages between player and club. According to The Telegraph, as of July, the Catalan side owed him £17million in deferred wages from the pandemic.
Speaking to De Telegraaf ahead of the Netherlands' World Cup opener against Senegal, the midfielder criticised a 'campaign with lots of lies'. A handful of Spanish outlets reported that De Jong was not willing to take a pay cut in order to help Barcelona solve their financial woes.
But, despite the saga, he insisted that he's happy in Barcelona. De Jong said: "I am very happy in Barcelona. When I play it's great and in terms of living here life is perfect. I see myself in Barcelona for as long as possible. I personally hope for another eight or 10 years.
"One day a paper published details from my contract," he added. "I didn't leak it and only one other party knew about this, so it had to be the club who did this. Suddenly there was a letter in which the question was asked whether my contract was still valid because the previous president made the contract.
"I found it very annoying that the club did this, but I had no further influence on things. I blame these people [those at Barca who wanted him out], but I have nothing to do with them. Yes, they are Barca for me because they lead the club. But I don't see them when I'm at the club. I have nothing to do with them in my daily life."
De Jong impressed for Louis van Gaal's side in Netherlands' World Cup opener, providing an assist for Cody Gakpo as they won 2-0.The Oranje now face Ecuador on Friday afternoon and the Barcelona star will be looking to continue his exciting form.
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