Just when it seemed as if the waters had calmed, the case of Frenkie de Jong is once again forecasting stormy weather.
On Sunday, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf released some explosive comments made by de Jong about Barcelona, where he accused the club of trying to force him out and of leaking his contract – which is of course, illegal.
While he claimed he wanted to remain at the club for next decade, he attacked the leadership and now President Joan Laporta’s right-hand man has responded in earnest.
On Twitter, Enric Masip said the following:
“I can say with knowledge of the facts that the person from the club who has most defended the continuity and of course the non-sale of Frenkie de Jong was, he has a first and last name, Joan Laporta. A sale was never considered by the club, NEVER, even with the delicate situation of the club.”
Puedo decir con conocimiento de causa que la persona del Club que más ha defendido la continuidad y por supuesto la no venta de @DeJongFrenkie21 ha sido una, tiene nombre y apellido @JoanLaportaFCB Nunca se planteó venderlo,NUNCA ni con la delicada situación del Club.Visca el💙❤️
— Enric Masip (@enricmasip5) November 20, 2022
Masip’s comments could well be true – if the contract was leaked by other members of the board or the club, then that would leave Laporta in the clear.
However it seems tricky to believe that Laporta did not have a least a role in facilitating the campaign to force de Jong either out of the club or to take a pay cut. As President, Laporta holds significant sway in the media and could easily have killed speculation with a single statement.
