Josep Maria Bartomeu 'confident' Frenkie de Jong's contract is legal | OneFootball

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu believes that the contracts he handed to Frenkie de Jong and three other players at back end of his tenure are legal, despite the current board's claims otherwise.

Reports emerged on Monday that Barça's current higher ups, now led by Joan Laporta, had been in contact with De Jong over his contract standoff, revealing that they were considering legal action due to suggestions of 'criminality' in the most recent deal he signed.

De Jong, along with Gerard Pique, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Clement Lenglet, signed altered contracts in October 2020 which meant that they would defer their wages for two seasons, but the difference would be made up over the following years of their respective deals.

And according to SER Catalunya, Bartomeu is convinced that those contracts are above board as they were signed off by various legal bodies and approved by La Liga.

The 59-year-old resigned from his post soon after handing out those contracts after becoming a universally unpopular figure among fans.

Barcelona's current board are hoping that De Jong and co will agree to return to terms of their previous contracts - in the Dutchman's case, the initial deal he signed at Camp Nou in 2019 - should their current deals prove to be illegal.

De Jong has been heavily linked with a move away from Barça this summer, with Manchester United agreeing an €85m fee for him. However, the midfielder wants to be paid around €20m in deferred wages caused by this contract fiasco before considering leaving. Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also interested.