Barcelona are said to be awaiting a bid from Chelsea for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to reports. The Spanish side have already agreed a deal with Premier League rivals Manchester United over a move, but the Blues could hijack it.
It comes as the west London outfit are beginning to assert their dominance in the transfer market. It took some time, but owner Todd Boehly saw the first signing of his new ownership, adding Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
That’s not all though as football.london understands Kalidou Koulibaly is close to a permanent move from Napoli. Nathan Ake is also in advanced talks over re-signing with the Blues this summer.
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While those signings address both the defensive and attacking thirds of the pitch, there is one area that Thomas Tuchel is yet to look at. That is the midfield, with Chelsea at serious risk of repeating a transfer mistake they made in the past year.
Key duo N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are in the final year of their contracts at the club, leaving them in a vulnerable position. It would potentially see a similar scenario to this summer, where Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left as free transfers.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has been linked as a potential solution to that problem, with Boehly holding talks with the Catalonian club a few weeks ago, though the topic of conversation is unclear. The Netherlands international has also been heavily linked with Manchester United and former manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils are said to have reached a full agreement with the Blaugrana for the midfielder, totalling roughly £72million. However, according to Sport, Barcelona are still awaiting a bid from Chelsea to sign the 25-year-old.
With the priority for Tuchel still firmly focused on the defence, a midfield approach is yet to be made. Time will tell if they, in fact, make that elusive bid for de Jong.
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