Chelsea could offer Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in a bid to land Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona
According to Sport (h/t Mirror), Chelsea could offer Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in a bid to land Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong in the ongoing summer transfer window.
The Catalans are interested in two more of our defenders this summer, having already landed Andreas Christensen on a free transfer. The Blues are now trying to entice the Spanish giants by including the duo in a deal for the Dutch midfielder.
Azpilicueta and Alonso are both vying for an exit to Barcelona this summer. In exchange, the Stamford Bridge side are hoping to get the Catalans to consider a possible bid for De Jong. This could be a deal that might work out for all parties involved.
Manchester United have been chasing the 25-year-old for a while now. The Red Devils are angling for a reunion between the former Ajax Amsterdam midfielder and Erik ten Hag but have so far met with little success.
But it seems De Jong isn’t keen on a switch to Manchester this summer. Chelsea, on the other hand, have been a competitive side over the years, winning the Champions League a couple of seasons back. We’re once again competing for the most significant European honour in the upcoming campaign, which United can’t boast.
Thomas Tuchel currently has a host of midfield options. N’golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour. It has the right mix of youth and experience but lacks dynamism.
But apart from the Frenchman and Croatian, none of the other players were convincing for the Blues last season. Gallagher had a good run with Crystal Palace and has returned to Stamford Bridge for the upcoming campaign.
Thus, we do need quality in the middle of the park. But it can’t come at the expense of an already depleted department in the squad. We’re in dire need of defenders and letting Azpilicueta and Alonso leave isn’t a wise option.
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While De Jong has the talent to be a star at Chelsea, we need to pursue a deal that doesn’t see our team lose depth in other areas. Hopefully, we can find an appropriate solution to bring the Dutchman to Stamford Bridge this summer.