It has become quite clear that Barcelona are willing to sell Frenkie de Jong if they can get a good offer for him and it appears Chelsea may just grant their wishes.
Until now, Manchester United had been the only side to show concrete interest in de Jong, but Chelsea now have the approval of manager Thomas Tuchel to launch a bid for de Jong. As per Sport, after a declaration of their intentions at the weekend, Chelsea today opened talks with Barcelona.
The Blaugrana want at least €80m for de Jong, which would bring them in the region of United’s bid. It is no secret that Barcelona also hold an interest in Chelsea players Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta, something the Blues are hoping will aid them in negotiations. Joan Laporta is unlikely to accept either being included directly in the de Jong deal though, as that would be less beneficial to them in terms of fitting into La Liga’s salary limits.
If Chelsea can meet Barcelona’s demands, then they will have to be successful where United fell. Tuchel must still persuade de Jong to leave his life in Barcelona, although it will help that Chelsea can offer Champions League football.
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