Barcelona have blamed the financial constraints placed on them by La Liga for rejecting Manchester United’s opening bid for Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils are believed to have had a bid in the region of £52m rejected by the Catalans, despite their willingness to sell the Dutchman.
Barcelona’s willingness is down to their dire financial situation, with the club needing to raise significant funds to conduct their own transfer business.
However, negotiations are at a standstill as Barcelona want more than the £73m they paid for De Jong to sign him from Ajax in 2019.
The Catalans say their valuation is down to the fact that their ‘hands are tied’ by La Liga rules that state they can only reinvest one-third of the money they raise from sales or save in wages, according to ESPN.
This is after Barcelona breached a salary cap, which in part led to Lionel Messi’s sensational exit from the club.
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United are prepared to increase their offer for De Jong to around £60m but they want to agree a fee which would reflect Barcelona’s financial struggles, rather than paying more than what the Catalans paid three years ago.
With a new power structure at Old Trafford, officials want to send a message that the faults of previous years are a thing of the past.
De Jong, for his part, is keen on staying at the Camp Nou but he understands the club’s financial position and is willing to reunite with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
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