Frenkie de Jong spared no bones in his criticism of the media and reporting of him and Barcelona over transfer links.
The Dutch midfielder joined Barcelona in 2019 after his sensational role in the infamous Ajax Champions League run of 2018-19, off the back of which he and Matthijs De Ligt earned big moves.
However despite having a regular role at the Nou Camp outfit, De Jong has consistently been linked with moves away from the club, most commonly to Manchester United.
Yet De Jong has been quick to launch an attack of his own on what he feels is erroneous reporting over his future in Spain, and also hit out at conjecture over his earnings at the club.
Frenkie de Jong revealed his anger at reports linking him with moves away from Barcelona
The midfielder insisted that the Catalan giants were ‘the club of my dreams’ amid links to an exit
He emerged on the scene as one of the brightest young midfield talents under Erik ten Hag at Ajax
‘If I’m honest, I am getting quite irritated lately,’ De Jong said. ‘I am very angry at what you (media) write or say about me. There are a lot of stories that are simply not true. I simply can’t get my head around it. Some of you write lies all the time and I don’t get how you are not ashamed about it.
‘There’s a lot of talk about my contract situation and my salary. There’s a lot of smoke in there and plenty of lies. You the media are saying that I earn around £34.3million-per-year (€40m-per-year)… this is really far from the truth. I am not going to reveal figures, but that’s simply lying.
‘I am really happy here. Barcelona was and is the club of my life, it was my dream to play here and it still is. I am not happy with the press and everything that surrounds the club because, as I’ve been saying, it’s full of lies.’
Reports from Spain suggested that the player had been told to bring in an offer so that he could be sold or sign a new contract, leading to suggestions his wages were too high for the club to be able to afford.
The Netherlands international looked all but set to join Manchester United in 2022 after the Premier League club put in a £70m bid but De Jong instead opted to stay with the LaLiga giants.
The Red Devils have maintained an interest in the midfielder while rivals Chelsea have also been monitoring the 26-year-old’s situation.
However his recent comments might suggest that interest could be wasted with the Dutch international seemingly prepared to remain in LaLiga.
Next season though could prove pivotal as Xavi has already announced that he will leave the club at the end of the campaign, meaning that there could be a lot of change over the summer.
His uncertain future comes as manager Xavi announced that he will depart at the end of the season
De Jong and Co are in action on Wednesday night in the Champions League against Napoli
The announcement came after a run of poor results – including defeats by Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal – although the club legend looks to have turned things around with three games undefeated.
Barca are in action in the Champions League against Napoli having reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2020-21.
It is something of a clash between two sides struggling to live up to performances from last season – although to slightly different extents.
Both Barca and Napoli won their respective domestic league titles in 2022-23, and the Catalans now find themselves third in LaLiga – eight points behind leaders Real Madrid – and Napoli in ninth, trailing Inter by a staggering 27 points.
