Barcelona remains one of the grandest European clubs to exist, with a history and pedigree to back that claim. From a sporting perspective, La Blaugrana remains a competitive entity. However, when it comes to financial prowess, Barça has fallen well behind the other juggernauts of Europe.
Still among the highest revenue generators in world football, the pull and prestige of Barcelona is still ever-present. However, due to years of financial mismanagement, there are now certain restrictions imposed upon the Catalans. These restrictions prevent them from pursuing the biggest names with the biggest price tags.
Much of this mismanagement took place during the reign of Josep Maria Bartomeu as Barcelona’s president. While there was success to be celebrated during his time in charge, there are also lingering details that have been left behind. Among his many gifts of misfortune that he left Barcelona, the contract of Frenkie De Jong still remains problematic.
According to the information provided by SPORT, the details of the Dutchman’s contract have been leaked. Following his agreement to defer his payments during COVID-19, the player has since been accommodated handsomely.
Base Salary
As per the details provided, the base salary of the player has been drastically different from the initial two seasons. Following his deferment agreement, De Jong earned the following amounts as fixed payments regardless of bonuses:
- 2020/21: €9.6 million
- 2021/22: €12.5 million
Then came forth the big boost in this salary range. Now being compensated while being paid his actual salary, the numbers have skyrocketed for this season and the upcoming ones:
- 2022/23: €18 million
- 2023/24: €18 million
- 2024/25: €19 million
- 2025/26: €19 million
Taking into account the word of SPORT, De Jong is not Barça’s highest earner in terms of fixed salary. That title goes to Laporta’s star signing in the summer of 2022, Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker, as per the report, is the highest base earner within the Catalan club.
Loyalty Bonus
Apart from fixed wages, however, De Jong also signed a loyalty bonus with Barcelona. Starting from the 2021/22 season, this amount would be payable to De Jong if he finishes said season as a player of FC Barcelona.
- 2021/22: €2.8 million
- 2022/23: €2.8 million
- 2023/24: €6.8 million
- 2024/25: €4.2 million
- 2025/26: €4.0 million
Interestingly, the biggest loyalty bonus would be applicable to the ongoing campaign. Perhaps this was the reason that Barça wanted to offload the player at some point to Manchester United. However, the transfer train fell apart and the Dutchman remains a Barcelona player.
Taking into account both his fixed salary for the campaign (€18 million), his loyalty bonus (€6.8 million), and a performance bonus based on participation (€2 million), the 2023/24 season represents De Jong’s peak earnings as a Barcelona player, totaling €26.8 million. While these numbers are staggering, they serve as a stark reminder of the damages caused by Bartomeu’s era at Barça, even today.
