Chelsea have been handed a major boost in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong ahead of the January transfer window. The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this summer as Barcelona tried solve their ongoing financial troubles.
football.london understand that the Blues have liked the idea of signing De Jong for a few years now. The west Londoners were said to have faced competition from Manchester United for the midfielder's signature, with Thomas Tuchel once confident of beating Erik ten Hag to a deal.
It's said that Chelsea were in talks with the Netherlands over a potential move to Stamford Bridge as the German boss looked to bolster his midfielder with more creativity. Instead, after a deal failed to materialise, the Blues completed a deadline day move for Denis Zakaria, who joined the club on a season-long loan.
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However, if Chelsea - or any other club - make a move for De Jong in January, then a deal could be on the cards. In July, according to the Mirror, the Dutchman was left 'disgusted' by his boss' conduct.
Xavi reportedly informed De Jong that he was up for sale via a phone call - which didn't go down well. Despite this, Mundo Deportivo said that the midfielder dug his heels and did everything to stay put at the Camp Nou, all while the Spanish giants looked to cash in on his talent.
Now that talk of a move has cooled, the Barcelona boss has made his feelings known on the saga. Xavi handed De Jong less than half an hour of action against Sevilla - the first fixture after the summer transfer window.
Though it doesn't come as much of surprise seeing as the Chelsea and United target was closer than ever to an exit. Nonetheless, De Jong is owed £17million in deferred wages by Barcelona from the pandemic, according to The Telegraph. This, obviously, remains to be a problem.
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