In an exclusive interview with CBS Sports says Barcelona president Joan Laporta again that they have no intention of selling Frenkie de Jong this summer.
– The first thing I have to say is that we want Frenkie [de Jong] will stay in Barcelona. We love the player he is and De Jong as a person. I want him to stay at Barcelona. He is a quality player and a good guy. I also know that he wants to stay here.
Then come the questions about how difficult it is to get De Jong to accept a new pay cut and any consequences if the Dutchman does not agree to this.
– Everything we do with Frenkie is the same as we do with the rest of the squad. The signings that come in have adapted the salary to the new structure, but Frenkie has a contract and we respect that. We cannot force him to accept a pay cut. It’s entirely up to him.
– We try to manage the football club in a responsible and sustainable way. So we have to have these conversations and we do it in a calm and considered way. We have explained the situation and are grateful to all players who can help us. It was the same with Dembele and I am eternally grateful to him. After months of talks, he accepted a renegotiation of his salary, and he can be proud of the decision.
When asked what happens to De Jong if he does not accept the pay cut, the answer is simple.
– Then he will stay here. He has a contract. We must respect that decision. For us, he is a Barcelona player. We trust him.
The president is also directly asked whether he can completely rule out De Jong becoming a United player this summer.
– In football you never know. I can’t say that categorically. Everything depends on the various parties — I can say that there is a great possibility that he will stay.
Manchester United is a club I respect
The president is also asked whether Barcelona made an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo before they ended up bringing Robert Lewandowski to the club.
– Well, this type of story always appears in the summer window. There is always a lot of news. But at the end of the day, the truth is that we wanted Lewandowski.
– Ronaldo is thoroughly professional and he is still a player of the highest calibre. He is a player who is very ambitious and competitive and I am sure he has many clubs who want him. He is still a Manchester United player, an extraordinary club that I respect. His future is none of my business.
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