Manchester United have long since had a deal done with Barcelona for the transfer of Frenkie de Jong, but have failed to convince the Dutch midfielder to join them. Now Chelsea appear set to see if they can succeed where United failed.
According to Relevo, Thomas Tuchel’s side are preparing an offer for de Jong, something that Barcelona are aware of. Chelsea have made the decision to pursue him and in all likelihood would only need to match United’s offer in order to agree terms with Barcelona.
El Barça ya sabe que el Chelsea prepara una propuesta formal por Frenkie de Jong.
📌 En las últimas horas, desde Londres han manifestado su firme deseo de firmar al holandés.
📌 Manchester no seduce al jugador, ni en lo deportivo ni en lo personal.@albert_roge 🤝 @tjuanmarti pic.twitter.com/aaNyYQ3cvD
— Relevo (@relevo) July 19, 2022
Whether they can convince de Jong is another matter. The Dutchman is happy in Barcelona and a recent report emerged claiming that he had little interest in the Premier League as a whole.
Chelsea may still have some added bonuses to offer however. The lure of London is a popular one for many footballers and in addition, Chelsea can offer Champions League football. Just two seasons removed form European victory, they are much closer to challenging for the title and in Europe than United.
