Barca threatening legal action against Frenkie de Jong's contract extension
Barca now want De Jong to revert to the terms of the agreement which he originally signed in January 2019.
FC Barcelona have reportedly Frenkie de Jong they want to nullify his existing contract and return to the deal he was on before, The Athletic reported. This is because the Catalan giants allege that his existing contract has 'evidence of criminality' within it and they may as well take legal action against those involved.
The Catalan side have serious financial problems and among the ways, they are trying to improve matters is by selling De Jong or reaching an agreement with him over deferred wages he is owed.
There has so far been no sign of a compromise between the 25-year-old Netherlands midfielder and his employers in what is becoming one of the most extraordinary sagas the game has seen.
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Man Utd had an offer accepted for De Jong last month, but the player's reluctance to join Old Trafford and outstanding payments he is owed by Barcelona - reported to be £14.5m - stopped the deal from going through.
According to The Athletic, Barcelona wrote to De Jong on July 15 claiming to have found evidence of criminal actions on behalf of the parties who signed his renewal on October 20, 2020.
The two-year contract extension - taking him up to 2026 - reduced his salary for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons in order to alleviate Barca's financial problems.
This left £15.2million to be paid to De Jong across the following four seasons.
Barca now want De Jong to revert to the terms of the agreement which he originally signed in January 2019.
Dialogue between the club and player is also said to have included claims that De Jong's representatives may be implicated in the alleged criminality.
The previous management led by president Josep Bartomeu, who was replaced last year, believed the contract renewal was completely legal.
Meanwhile, the reports of legal action potentially being taken come just hours after current president Joan Laporta insisted De Jong wants to stay at the Nou Camp.
He said: "He [De Jong] is a Barca player of great quality and we want him to stay.
"He has offers but we want him to stay and he wants to stay too."
