Barcelona chief Deco breaks silence on Manchester United-linked duo's futures

Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, has made it clear that neither Ronald Araujo nor Frenkie de Jong will be leaving the club this summer.

Both players have been linked with moves away from the club due to Barcelona's growing financial problems. The La Liga bosses recently cut Barca's salary cap to £174.8million, which is £56m less than what was set earlier this season.

The cap is the most a club can spend in a season, including all deals made during the winter. However, Barca's actual squad cost for this season has been budgeted at £421m.

Because they've gone over their limit, La Liga rules say Barca must make cuts before signing any more players. This means any players who could be sold might leave this summer.

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But Deco has said De Jong and Araujo, as well as top striker Robert Lewandowski, will stay. "Nothing will happen to them [Araujo and De Jong].

"They have a contract and all the big clubs want to keep their best players and these are some of the best," Deco told Movistar before the Getafe game on Saturday. "They are important players for now and for the future. They have earned the right to be here and the respect of the fans and everyone. We know where we want to go and we are counting on them.

"He [Lewandowski] is a world-class reference. He has a great ability to score goals. I have seen very few players as professional and dedicated to football as him. He is a gift for us."

De Jong himself has played down the reports linking him with a move away this summer. The Dutchman came close to departing in the summer of