Chelsea are ready to rival Manchester United for the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer, according to reports in Spain.
The summer transfer window has appeared to see Chelsea and Barcelona go head-to-head for many players, as well as the Blues wanting players from Spain and vice versa.
Chelsea have already lost defender Andreas Christensen to Xavi Hernandez’s side, while Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are both wanted also.
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Alonso is believed to be considering handing in a transfer request to force a move through, while Azpilicueta has yet to decide his Stamford Bridge future following the automatic triggering of a one-year extension.
Raphinha and Jules Kounde are wanted by both sides but neither side have won the race yet.
However, Chelsea have also been linked with De Jong, who is of interest to Manchester United this summer.
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted they want to keep hold of the 25-year-old, however are asking him to take a pay cut.
"Frenkie de Jong is a Barcelona player," he said. "We don’t want to sell him unless we have no other choice.
"Of course we know there are offers for De Jong. But we don’t want to sell him.”
He previously added: “There are clubs that want him, not just (Manchester) United. We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay.
“Frenkie is considered as one of the best midfielders in the world by all the experts. We are happy to have him.
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“I’m going to do everything I can in my power so that Frenkie stays here, but there’s also a salary issue and that would have to be adjusted.”
Now it is being reported in Spain that Chelsea are ready to step up their pursuit of De Jong, but will not include Azpilicueta or Alonso in any swap deal.
Any negotiations and deals will remain separate operations.
It has also been claimed that Thomas Tuchel is ready to land a double Dutch deal with the signing of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus.
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Nathan Ake, another Dutchman, has also been linked with talks ongoing for both De Ligt and Ake as Tuchel eyes a defensive rebuild.
Man United believe they will win the race for De Jong but no fee has yet been agreed with Barcelona, with wage payments also proving to be a current issue.
He is owed £17 million in deferred wage payment and Barcelona are working on resolving the issue.
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Barcelona are clearly putting the pressure on interested clubs to pay up for De Jong. Now it’s over to Manchester United, Chelsea and others to make suitable offers should they wish to do so.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Frenkie De Jong, Chelsea, Matthijs De Ligt, Barcelona, Juventus, Thomas Tuchel
