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Barcelona To Make Frenkie De Jong Highest-Paid Dutch Footballer Ahead Of Virgil Van Dijk

Barcelona To Make Frenkie De Jong Highest-Paid Dutch Footballer Ahead Of Virgil Van Dijk

Ajax's Frenkie de Jong will surpass Virgil van Dijk as the best-paid Dutch footballer when he heads to Barcelona at the end of the season.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Frenkie de Jong will reportedly become the highest-paid Dutchman in world football after he moves to Barcelona in the summer.

That's according to de Volkskrant, which claims that the Ajax star will pocket €16m a year at the Spanish club.

As AjaxTimes points out, it‏ would mean that the 21-year-old midfielder would overtake Virgil van Dijk as the most-paid Dutch footballer, with the Liverpool centre-back currently on €10.5m at Anfield.

In terms of Dutchmen across different sports, de Jong would become the third highest-paid sportsman and is only outdone by the Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts (€16.7m) and Formula One driver Max Verstappen (€20m).

Barça signed the Netherlands international on a five-year contract in the January transfer window for a reported fee of €75m.

With the Dutch midfielder set to arrive at the Camp Nou in the summer, he recently revealed why he turned down the opportunity to move to Tottenham Hotspur.

"The moment wasn't right. I wasn't finished at Ajax, as I hadn't yet played a full season in my own position," he told FourFourTwo.

"I was also injured in that period, so I was thinking, 'not yet.' I felt I should stay for another year at Ajax, or perhaps longer.

"I see Tottenham as a very stable club, and they are only getting better.

PA

"They give young players a chance and I see Mauricio Pochettino as a manager who really improves young players. I like the kind of football they are playing. I think it would have suited my game."

Barcelona have also been linked with a move for de Jong's Ajax teammate Matthijs de Ligt, who is reportedly interested in signing for the reigning La Liga champions.

Last month, Ajax director of football Marc Overmars claimed that the 19-year-old Dutch centre-back could play for "any of the six best teams in the world right now."

Will de Ligt follow de Jong and sign for Barça?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Barcelona, Ajax, Virgil Van Dijk, Frenkie De Jong, La Liga, Camp Nou, Max Verstappen