Chelsea know they have beaten Manchester United in pursuit of Frenkie de Jong
According to a Spanish outlet SPORT (h/t Mirror), Chelsea know they will beat rivals Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Despite the fact that United agreed on a fee with Barcelona for the player, and their manager Erik ten Hag desperately wanting him, it doesn’t look likely the move will happen. The reason is the player’s unwillingness to move to Old Trafford.
Chelsea arrived late to the party and now have the upper hand in the transfer race. De Jong wants to continue playing in the Champions League and fight for the top honours, something the Blues can offer, unlike Manchester United. It now seems that the London-based club are waiting for the right moment to make this move happen before the deadline day.
Barcelona have not treated the 25-year-old very well with regards to paying the money owed, instead threatening him with legal action. As much as he wants to stay at the club, there is no point staying at a place where you are not needed or important.
De Jong arrived at the Camp Nou in 2019 and was one of the key members of the squad in the last three seasons. He made a total of 141 appearances in all competitions, being used in various positions across the midfield and also as a centre-back in a three-man defence.
If Chelsea manages to get this deal over the line, it would be a massive addition to their squad. They have already added three players of top quality to their line-up – Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella. Add de Jong to that list with the squad they already have, the talent pool is going to be sensational.
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- Chelsea target Matheus Nunes to join Wolverhampton Wanderers
De Jong has an abundance of both quality and experience playing top-level and international football. And at 25, the best years are ahead of him as a midfielder.