Laporta tells De Jong only way he can stay at Barca

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told Frenkie de Jong there’s only one way he can stay this season.

Laporta has held his stance in making it very clear to the Dutch midfielder that, if he wants to stay, he will have to accept a sizeable salary reduction.

“We are going to do everything possible for him to stay and we hope that the player will also do everything possible to stay. We all have to make an effort,” he reflected. “We find ourselves with a wage bill that has shot up by more than 40 per cent. What is clear is that we have a new wage scale and all the players have to fit into it.

The Barça boss, however, has stressed that “he wants to stay and we want him to stay. That’s the most important thing,” he added.

On the excitement over the arrival of Jules Koundé, he has claimed that the French centre-back “wanted to come for a lesser salary than elsewhere”.