Chelsea to make imminent Frenkie de Jong offer: The details
FT Desk
- 31 Jul 2022 15:15 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have told Barcelona that they are set to make an offer for midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
That is according to Sport and a number of other Spanish media outlets, which claim that an official bid from the Blues is imminent.
PREMIER LEAGUE DONE DEALS THIS SUMMER
Sport adds that De Jong will strongly consider a move to Stamford Bridge, unlike the offer he has received from Manchester United.
Chelsea’s interest in De Jong dates back to the beginning of July when Blues owner Todd Boehly travelled to Barcelona for a transfer summit.
In that meeting, the two clubs discussed Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, who both could still move to Barca this summer.
But the topic of De Jong also came up in the discussion, with Chelsea asking for permission to speak to the Dutchman.
Chelsea have since focused on the signing of defenders, with Kalidou Koulibaly arriving from Napoli and one other centre-back set to join him in the coming weeks.
But Chelsea are also eager to buy a new central midfielder, with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante in the last years of their deals.
De Jong is still reluctant to leave Barcelona, but is much more open to join Barcelona than Man Utd.
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De Jong doesn't want Man Utd
Man Utd and Barcelona have been in negotiations for De Jong for the best part of three months, with the Blaugrana desperate to sell the Dutchman in order to raise money to buy more players.
The two teams have already agreed a transfer fee that could reach around €85m.
However, De Jong is totally opposed to move to Man Utd for sporting reasons.
Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, and De Jong wishes to play in Europe’s biggest club competition.
He is also unsure whether moving to a club that has not won the league for almost a decade – or any trophies at all for five years – would be a good career decision.
The one big obstacle of a De Jong move to Chelsea is that he is still owed around €17m in deferred wages from Barcelona and he is demanding payment of this before leaving.
It also remains to be seen how much Chelsea will bid for De Jong and if they will match the €85m Man Utd are prepared to pay.
