Barcelona appreciate veteran superstar’s gesture of offering to reduce his salary this summer | OneFootball

Barcelona’s struggle to register Dani Olmo for La Liga earlier this summer was baffling to many, especially considering that the club manoeuvred several departures to enable the operation.

The culprit, at the end, is the Blaugranas’ inflated wage bill with some players on more lucrative contracts than others.

The two highest-paid players at Barcelona, however, are clear of the rest by a fair margin and are Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski.

A question of accommodation

While the total cost Barcelona must incur for the Dutchman’s services this season amounts to €35.5 million including amortisation costs, Lewandowski weighs similar.

The Polish striker’s salary for the ongoing campaign stands at €24 million. Given that his transfer cost €45 million and is divided over four years of his contract, the amortisation adds up to €11.25 million making it a total of €35.25 million.

Lewandowski is one of the highest earners at Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Despite weighing similar in a financial sense, the perception of both players in the Catalan capital is different.

As revealed in a recent update by Culemania, the club values Lewandowski’s attitude towards their situation for he has proven to be more accommodating.

This summer, the striker offered to defer his wages by extending his contract for one more year, thus helping the club register players ahead of the crucial season.

The manoeuvre proposed was a similar one to that followed by Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti.

In the end, Lewandowski’s offer was rejected but his gesture left a lasting mark on the administration’s image of him. De Jong, after all, has not been as supportive.

The striker has made a fine start to the new season under Hansi Flick, establishing himself as a trusted weapon in the final third. De Jong, meanwhile, is yet to make his debut and is expected to return in the coming weeks.