FC Barcelona playmaker Frenkie de Jong has broken his silence on the club's reported attempt to force him out of the Camp Nou in recent months, insisting that a lot of lies were told.
De Jong was involved in a long-standing transfer saga during the latest window, when Manchester United were reportedly desperate to acquire his services following former Ajax Amsterdam boss Erik ten Hag's arrival at Old Trafford.
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Reports at the time suggested that the midfielder was United's primary target, but things did not go as the English outfit will have hoped, with De Jong refusing to make the switch in favour of remaining in Catalonia.
This despite an agreement between the two clubs over a transfer fee in excess of £56.2 million (R1.1 billion), according to the Daily Mirror.
The saga dragged on for more than 13 weeks, and things seemingly became sinister when Barca reportedly threatened to take legal action against the player if he did not concede to making his contract void.
The Blaugrana accused the previous Josep Bartomeu-led regime and the player's representative of drafting a new deal for the player that "involved criminality" and provided grounds for legal action against those involved, while the current board also insisted that De Jong revert to his old deal.
Some reports in Spain suggested that Barca were only looking for a way out of paying the 25-year-old the deferred wages owed to him after he took several pay cuts during and after the pandemic – the Spanish giants are understood to owe him about €17 million (R303 million), with some believing he is the club's best-earning player since Lionel Messi's shock departure as a result.
De Jong has now spoken out about the lengthy saga, insisting that the claims about his earnings were completely false.
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"I don't think I am Barca's best-paid player after Messi," the Netherlands international told ZiggoSport.
"There has been a campaign with lot of lies.
"In each of first three years I played here, I cut my salary.
"So eventually money has to come back and, of course, it will look bigger."
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WATCH DE JONG'S FIRST THREE SEASONS AT BARCA SO FAR BELOW: