With a lot of uncertainty surrounding Frankie de Jong’s possible transfer to Manchester United, a new club has emerged as a potential new destination for the Barcelona footballer. According to media reports, Chelsea are set to mark de Jong as a possible target in the current summer transfer window.
A report published by The Guardian claimed the London club are closely following the progress of the 25-year-old’s transfer talks and will not waste any opportunity if his potential move to the Red Devils eventually collapses.
The report further stated that United had agreed to a fee of €65 million (£56.2 million) plus add-ons for de Jong. Further conversations would develop around de Jong’s personal terms. The Dutchman is believed to be set to sign for Manchester United, although it was previously said that he has no intention of leaving Barcelona.
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Chelsea’s interest in de Jong is not new as The Blues closely monitored the transfer talks of the then Ajax midfielder in 2019. De Jong joined Barcelona ahead of the 2019-20 season. According to media reports, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is also a fan of de Jong.
He has represented Barcelona 140 times so far and has scored 13 goals. In the recently concluded La Liga, he featured in 32 matches and returned to the net three times with three assists. In the international circuit, the former Ajax footballer has played 44 matches with a single goal in his kitty.
Chelsea’s top priority is still to fix the defensive issues. The club are in dire need of a centre-back after the departure of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The midfield is still a major headache as many players are set to be out of contract next season. Midfielders like Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have just one year left on their current contract with Saul, who is set to return to Atletico Madrid after ending a pretty soft loan period at Chelsea.
Chelsea finished last season’s Premier League campaign in third place and Thomas Tuchel’s men will begin next season’s EPL tour against Everton on 6 August.
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