On the day when Mundo Deportivo ‘brings’ the players to Barcelona, AS says goodbye to one of them. And they sound definitive. With an article entitled “Bye-bye, De Jong”, the Madrid daily leaves no doubt that the parting of the Dutch midfielder and the Catalans is around the corner.Frankie De Jong should move to Manchester United and put himself at the disposal of Erik ten Hag, and thus re-establish a connection with the coach with whom he worked in Ajax and where he was launched on the big stage. That deal has not been concluded, but as soon as AS sent out the initial information, and Mundo checked at the Nou Camp and received similar hints, it started seeming more and more certain. The only difference is that in Madrid they claim that it will certainly be so, while in Catalonia they are more careful, reminding how much Xavi Hernandez values the 25-year-old football player and emphasize their readiness to let him go only if the offer satisfies the club’s executives.Sun 19:30: (3.50) Getafe (3.45) Barcelona (2.10)And if anyone can pay – even overpay – then it’s the English clubs. The planet will stop turning sooner than Manchester United have no money, and according to several sources, the Red Devils would pay up to 70 million euros for De Jong. Bearing in mind that he cost Barca 86 million euros almost three years ago, it is clear that he will not earn them back all the money, nor is it realistic after the economic crisis due to the pandemic, and especially not after the desperate season of the club in which they won nothing.De Jong is the last to take the blame. He mostly does his part of the job well, only sometimes he doesn’t seem to have anyone to play with. And the ambiance is far from the almost-family one he left in Amsterdam when he wowed everyone with Ajax and reached the semifinals of the Champions League.Thierry Henry speaks about his old club: “All clubs fear Real Madrid – and Real Madrid fear Barca”Manchester United are one of the few clubs able to meet the financial demands of the players. In Barcelona, De Jong earns almost 11 million euros per season and just the same as he would pay attention to the budget of the current club – he would not burden the treasury of the Red Devils too much either, who give even more to some of their players. And in the ideas of Erik ten Hag, Frankie de Jong is projected to fill the space created by the departures of Nemanja Matić and Paul Pogba, since the contracts of the Serb and the Frenchman expire at the end of the season.
