Joan Laporta expects Frenkie de Jong to be part of Barcelona's US tour squad

Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has again denied accusations that Frenkie de Jong needs to be sold to meet Financial Fair Play requirements, and expects the Dutchman to be part of Xavi's squad for their pre-season tour of the US.

90min understands that Manchester United have agreed an €85m deal with Barça for De Jong, but the midfielder wants the club to pay him £17m in deferred wages before agreeing to a move away.

Despite clearly being open to selling De Jong all summer long, Laporta has continually insisted the 25-year-old is not for sale - a stance he doubled down on following Raphinha's unveiling as a Barcelona player on Friday.

"It’s not true that we are forced to sell Frenkie de Jong, this is not correct," Laporta said. "Frenkie’s trip to the US will be decided by Xavi...I understand that Frenkie will be on the US tour."

However, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany admitted that players will have to be sold in order to meet La Liga's strict financial regulations, though refused to comment on De Jong's potential move to Old Trafford.


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"Frenkie is a very important player and we count on him. But we know La Liga's Fair Play tells us to sell players," Alemany said. "I can't say more [on De Jong leaving for Man Utd]."

Barcelona have made just two sales so far this window, with fringe strikers Ferran Jutgla and Rey Manaj joining Club Brugge and Watford respectively.

They kick off their pre-season tour of the US on July 19 against Inter Miami before facing bitter rivals Real Madrid in Las Vegas. They then take on Juventus and New York Red Bulls and will return to Europe on the final day of the month.


Source : 90min