Manchester United’s top summer transfer target Frenkie de Jong is interested in joining Chelsea if he leaves Barcelona this summer according to Sport via Daily Mail.
The Netherlands international has been on Man United’s transfer list this summer. It was reported that a deal was agreed upon between Barça and United for his services.
However, Frenkie de Jong has made it clear that he’s not ready to leave Barcelona for Man United this summer. He however appreciated his former manager Erik ten Hag for being interested in him.
The former Ajax player reportedly claimed that Man United management is run “erratically” which is why he doesn’t want to reunite with Erik ten Hag. But he would only leave Barcelona if a deal with Chelsea is accepted given the fact that Chelsea will play in the UEFA Champions League competition next season.
It’s believed that he also likes the project and structure that the new club owner Todd Boehly is building at the London based club.
However, Chelsea are not willing to pay as much as Man Utd values Frenkie de Jong. Barcelona are desperate to release the midfielder because of his high salary since they are currently having some financial problems which have made it impossible for them to register new players.
Chelsea’s valuation for the player is the reason why Barcelona won’t allow him to join them even though he prefers a move to Stamford Bridge.
Frenkie de Jong will only leave Barcelona for Chelsea and has NO interest in a move to Old Trafford.
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) July 26, 2022
{Sport via Dailymail}
In the same vein, Chelsea have blocked their left-back Marcos Alonso from joining Barcelona this summer after the Spanish giants hijacked their target Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
According to multiple reports, the Blues are not willing to release their captain Cesar Azpilicueta to Barcelona this summer. The recent development came after Barcelona secured the services of Jules Kounde with a £55m deal even after Chelsea reached an agreement with Sevilla. The deal has increased tensions between both clubs and it might be the end of them doing business together.
Although Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has already moved to Barcelona this summer, it’s unlikely that fellow defenders Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta will join him.
Barça have pulled off a similar transfer hijack on Chelsea this summer after they secured the services of Leeds United winger Raphinha. Chelsea came close to signing Raphinha and Jules Kounde but Barcelona signed them at the eleventh hour.
However, the deal with Frenkie de Jong is likely to happen if Chelsea make a good offer as Barcelona is only interested in the funds that will be generated from it. Chelsea have signed only two players so far this summer – Raheem Sterling from Man City and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.