Chelsea remain in the race for Frenkie de Jong and are confident they can beat Manchester United to his signature.
The Blues are looking to bolster their ranks and have taken an interest in Barcelona's midfielder, who has been in the headlines throughout the summer. De Jong could yet be forced out of the Camp Nou as the Catalan club look to balance their books after a summer of heavy spending.
De Jong is keen to join a club in the Champions League if he does leave Spain - something United cannot offer, whilst Chelsea can. The lure of living in London is also a further attraction, but Chelsea's failures in the transfer market so far this summer may well serve as comfort for the Manchester outfit.
The Blues have seen several of their targets head to other destinations, despite their heavy interest. A change in ownership has seen previous transfer guru Marina Granovskaia leave the club - and they have felt her absence in recent months.
Chelsea had a long-standing interest in Jules Kounde, who had impressed at Sevilla. A deal couldn't be agreed last summer but with a defensive exodus in west London, the Blues were always set to return and were close to completing a move. Barcelona though were able to usurp them late in the day with the defender heading to Catalunya.
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It was a similar story with Raphinha, who was long expected to leave Leeds United. Elland Road chief Andrea Radrizzani has admitted a deal with Chelsea was agreed but the Brazilian has ended up at Barcelona, who were able to topple the Blues at the eleventh hour.
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Those transfer failures may be on Chelsea and United's mind as the race for De Jong hots up, with the Telegraph claiming the west London outfit are confident the Dutchman will end up at Stamford Bridge if he does move on. Much of his future has revolved around the unpaid wages he is owed by Barcelona.
The Catalans have spent huge sums on the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Kounde but president Joan Laporta has dismissed suggestions they are disrespecting De Jong. He told CBS: "I insist we are respecting all our players. We follow the contracts.
"If we invest in new players it's to make the club more competitive. It's a circle: You invest in new players, the fans engage and that in turn improves our economy. Gary has been a very good football player for Manchester United. I respect his opinion and that's all I have to say."
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