Barcelona are reportedly planning to file criminal charges in relation to the contract extension signed by Frenkie de Jong in 2020.
Manchester United’s lengthy and difficult bid to sign the 25-year-old has fueled speculation over his future.
The Red Devils are said to have reached an agreement with Barcelona for a sum of £63m, which may rise to £71m with add-ons.
However, Erik ten Hag’s side have been unable to persuade the Netherlands international to quit Camp Nou due to a heated salary disagreement.
While Barcelona’s financial woes worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, De Jong was one of numerous players who agreed to defer his pay, and he is now suing for the money owed to him.
De Jong is allegedly owed up to €18m (£15.1m) by the Catalan giants, who are desperate to offload the ex-Ajax man to help balance the books, but he is refusing to move and he is now requesting payment for the unpaid debt.
See Also: Chelsea Offer Marcos Alonso, Frenkie De Jong Swap Deal With Barcelona
Why Is Barcelona Threatening To Take Legal Actions Over de Jong Contract?
Barcelona could potentially take another drastic turn in the case, according to The Athletic, who claims that the Blaugrana have discussed the idea of taking criminal action over De Jong’s contract.
When he first arrived at Camp Nou in 2019, the midfielder signed a five-year contract, and a two-year extension was agreed in October 2020 under Josep Maria Bartomeu’s tenure.
According to the Athletic, Barcelona issued De Jong a letter on July 14 alerting him that they feel “they are in a position to initiate criminal proceedings to establish what happened in relation to the signing of his contract and ascertain where responsibility resides for the supposed wrongdoing.”
According to the report, Barcelona then wants De Jong to agree to cancel his current terms and return to the contract he signed when he originally joined the club in 2019, with the previous board being accused of wrongdoing.
Bartomeu has always maintained that he behaved within the law when in charge of Barcelona, with La Liga and the proper authorities approving De Jong’s new contract.
Clement Lenglet, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Gerard Pique all had their contracts extended at the same time as De Jong, but it is unclear if the trio were also threatened with legal action.
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