La Liga chief gives Manchester United hope in Frenkie de Jong transfer pursuit

Barcelona have been told they must reduce their wage bill next season by La Liga, which means the Spanish giants could be forced to sell some of their key players including Frenkie de Jong.

The Nou Camp outfit looked to be facing exactly that situation this summer but were able to sell off rights and other assets to sustain the arrivals of the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

However, La Liga President Javier Tebas warned that they may not be able to do that again next year. Barcelona have huge amounts of debt, some reports claiming this is touching €1billion.

READ MORE: Napoli explains why they were never serious about signing Ronaldo

La Liga finance rules, which dictate the salary cap for each club ahead of the summer transfer window, forced Lionel Messi to leave La Blaugrana for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 amid the club’s financial woes.

There were rumours that the same could apply for De Jong this summer. United agreed a deal in principle for the midfielder in June before Barcelona’s unpaid wage debts to the player were uncovered.

The Dutchman also underlined that his preference was to stay with his employers after securing his “dream” career move in 2019. After a long and frustrating pursuit proved fruitless, United eventually landed Casemiro from Real Madrid for an initial £60m.

De Jong was Erik ten Hag’s primary transfer target when he arrived at Old Trafford and he may yet still get his man, thanks to Tebas’ stark warning to Barcelona ahead of next year. He explained how the Spanish club must reduce their wage bill drastically in order to comply with next season’s regulations.

"Barca has to reduce the wage bill,” he said (via the Express). “Next year there will be no levers and they will have to