Connect with us

Manchester United

Chelsea very interested in signing Man Utd target Frenkie de Jong

Chelsea are very interested in signing Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, Spanish journalist Toni Juanmarti claims.

The Red Devils have been in a constant dialogue with Barcelona for the 25-year-old, but they have yet to finalise a suitable agreement.

A guarantee fee of around £56 million has been agreed between the clubs, but they are still negotiating over the structure of the add-ons (£17m).

This alone does not appear a stumbling block. Barcelona also need to pay De Jong around £17.1m in deferred payments to finalise his exit.

Amidst this, Juanmarti claims that Chelsea are ‘very interested’ in the Dutchman, and have players that Barcelona would like to sign.

Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are on Blaugrana’s radar, and it is reported that they could be pursued in separate deals this summer.

The qualification for next season’s Champions League is highlighted as another advantage for the Blues when compared to United.

The news should concern Red Devil fans, considering reputed journalist Gerard Romero has also acknowledged Chelsea’s interest.

Romero has said that Chelsea have ‘indeed warmed up’ to the prospect of signing the Netherlands international from the Catalans.

Man Utd can ill-afford to miss out on De Jong

Manchester United have spent weeks negotiating for the deep-lying playmaker. The lack of breakthrough appears to have ignited interest from their Premier League rivals.

We were always expecting Chelsea to enter the race at some point of time, but it would be a bitter blow for United if the Blues hijack the deal from their grasp at the final hurdle.

Erik ten Hag has ambitions of playing De Jong from the number six role where he was most successful at Ajax. The 25-year-old would be able to seamlessly adapt to his tactics.

The board obviously don’t want to pay over the odds for De Jong, having done so in the past for several signings such as Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Paul Pogba.

This has led to a prolonged period of negotiations with Barcelona which may now benefit Chelsea. Champions League football continues to remain a priority for De Jong, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com