Chelsea's De Jong interest is Barcelona's dream - and a nightmare for Man Utd
Robin Bairner
- 3 Aug 2022 08:36 BST
- 12 min read
Everything is falling into place for Barcelona with regards Frenkie de Jong’s transfer saga, with Chelsea joining Manchester United in the hunt for the Netherlands international midfielder.
This is music to the ears of the Catalan club, who are not even sure yet if they want to see the Netherlands star leave the club.
Indeed, president Joan Laporta has already indicated that he could trigger a third economic lever for around €100 million if De Jong cannot or is not sold this summer.
Indeed, the suitors are there for the 25-year-old midfielder. Man Utd have had a deal in place with Barca for several weeks but they have been unable to convince the player to leave Camp Nou – partly because the Blaugrana owe him millions. Chelsea, meanwhile, are stepping up their interest.
Frenkie de Jong v La Liga midfielders: 2021/22
Chelsea playing in Barca’s hands
For Barcelona, this is great news for two reasons. Firstly, it gives them an additional reason to stall for time on the deal. Why do they need this? Largely because of their indecisiveness with the player. This has partly been bred out of their financial position. They ideally want to keep De Jong – but only if he accepts a pay cut. The longer he remains at the club, the more chance they have of talking him into a deal.
Secondly, with increased demand comes the ability to increase their selling price. A deal may have already been agreed with Man Utd, but Barcelona have shown themselves to be ruthless operators in the transfer market and Laporta would likely renege on that if it meant his club earning several million extra from a transfer.
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All this is bad news for Manchester United, and particularly so given Chelsea’s status. Not only have they been more competitive in recent seasons than them, they will also have Champions League football to offer De Jong as a bargaining chip.
It is widely reported that Thomas Tuchel’s side are one of two clubs he would prefer to move to than Man Utd, with Bayern Munich being the other.
Chelsea’s interest increases the likelihood of De Jong leaving Barcelona this summer – just not to Manchester United.
