The battle over Frenkie de Jong’s future dominated the summer transfer window, and Barcelona’s efforts to resolve it are likely to be frustrated once more.

Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona appears to be changing, with the midfielder preparing to reject the club’s demand that he reduce his contract yet again.

Last summer, Manchester United agreed an initial transfer fee of £56.2 million with Barcelona to sign the Dutch midfield guru, but the player had no plans to leave the Camp Nou. The Catalan club was eager to offload their highest-paid player and will investigate offers for him next summer if he refuses to reduce his salary.

De Jong has been increasingly upset with the club’s board, accusing them of leaking facts about his contract this summer. The midfielder’s salary was revealed when he indicated his intention to stay on his current contract, despite the club’s accusations that the contract was not legitimate.

The Dutch international is pleased playing for the club and living in the city, so a move is unlikely. The issue between the Blaugrana’s board and the player, on the other hand, seems unlikely to be addressed anytime soon.

According to Sport, the club has made a new approach to the former Ajax star, suggesting that he reduce his salary even again – although that attempt is unlikely to succeed. Barcelona must reduce their current pay outlays for next season from €600 million to €400 million in order to recruit new players and contracts.

The club’s goal in this regard is to cut De Jong’s salary, which will need the departure of several first-team players. It follows a year in which the club signed Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Hector Bellerin, Franck Kessie, and Jules Kounde.

Frenkie de Jong has expressed his displeasure with Barcelona’s board about the terms of his contract.

That was the result of a series of “economic levers” used by the club, which effectively involved selling assets and TV rights, resulting in a decline in income over the next 25 years. Barcelona’s finances will take another hit next year as the Camp Nou’s renovation considerably cuts matchday revenue.

This season, De Jong’s role at Barcelona has been limited, with him starting just over half of the club’s games. Sergio Busquets’ contract will expire at the conclusion of the season, easing the financial burden, but Barcelona is eager to find a replacement for the Spain international.

De Jong’s importance has been lessened by the popularity of Pedri and Gavi, as well as the inclusion of adolescent Pablo Torre, which, paired with his salary, has increased their desire to relocate him.