Chelsea will have to work hard to convince Frenkie de Jong to make the switch from Barcelona if they wish to land the midfielder this summer, according to reports. The Netherlands international has been heavily linked with the Blues, but Premier League rivals Manchester United have also been chasing a move.
It comes as Thomas Tuchel looks to reinforce his squad further heading into the brand new Premier League season. The German coach has only been able to add two players so far this transfer window, leading him to hint at the need for further signings.
“But listen, it’s the same players,” Tuchel bemoaned after a 4-0 loss to Arsenal in pre-season. “So why should everything change? So I don’t think. We will see hopefully development but at the moment we have maybe the same issues because we have the same players.”
Both the defence and attack have been addressed so far and will likely be added to still, given the need to improve both right away. However, the midfield is an area that will need adjusting in due course.
That’s because key duo Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are both in the final 12 months of their contracts at Stamford Bridge. This could leave the side vulnerable to losing two important players and having to replace them at the same time in the same window, a difficulty demonstrated by this summer’s attempt to replenish the centre-back department.
A number of players have been linked with changing the midfield structure, including De Jong. The Barcelona midfielder is said to be free to leave the club this summer as they try and balance their books ahead of the new La Liga season.
The Blues face Manchester United in the battle for his signature though, but the approach from the Red Devils appears to have stalled somewhat, with little progress made after having an offer accepted by the Blaugrana. It could give Chelsea the perfect chance to swoop in for the 25-year-old.
And, according to De Telegraaf, it would take an €85million (£71million) bid tabled to reach an agreement with Barcelona to land the player. The report also adds that it would take some convincing to make De Jong leave Spain, but also suggests that United themselves wouldn’t have made an offer without understanding whether the midfielder would be open to a switch or not.
Adding to that, De Jong is also owed money from the club in deferred wages, saying he would not move until that situation is sorted too. It remains to be seen how the transfer will play out, with plenty of moving parts, but the Blues could hijack the move and land a quality midfielder.
