In a summer window which has ebbed and flowed for Manchester United, latest developments suggest that the Red Devils could be set to miss out on two of their transfer targets.
The 2022 summer transfer window for Manchester United has been billed as one of the club’s most important in recent years, with the emphasis on giving new manager Erik ten Hag the tools he needs to kickstart his rebuild of the Red Devils.
So far the Dutch manager has made three signings, with Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen all donning the famous red jersey.
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One player who has not arrived at Manchester United, despite being heavily linked with a move to the club over the course of the summer is Frenkie De Jong.
The news of United’s interest in the Barcelona midfielder first broke in early May with the saga becoming one of the most talked about in this window, as the club remains embroiled in a back and forth with the Catalan giants.
Thirteen weeks, and a visit to Spain from United higher-ups Richard Arnold and John Murtough later, Ten Hag’s former player looks no closer to moving to Old Trafford, with player preference and deferred wages being amongst the reasons behind the deal’s delay.
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However, in the latest twist in this summer’s transfer window, the Red Devils could be set to miss out on their priority signing altogether.
This morning, David Ornstein shocked the Manchester United fanbase, by reporting that Chelsea had stepped up their interest in the Dutch midfielder.
“Chelsea are speaking to Barcelona about Frenkie de Jong and are optimistic about striking up a deal,” read the tweet.
In a window where the West London based outfit, under new free-spending owner Todd Boehly, have seen a number of their transfer targets poached by Barcelona, it seems ironic that Chelsea could be on the brink of hijacking United’s move for one the Catalan club’s stars.
After Ornstein’s initial report, several other British outlets have doubled down on the news that Chelsea have moved into pole position in the pursuit to secure the Dutchman’s services.
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Chelsea have “become frontrunners in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong” reported Times Sport.
Despite these reports, it may not be time for United fans to begin speculating about who their club could bring in as an alternative to the Dutch midfielder, as in an interview for Sky Sports, ‘Spanish football expert’ Alvaro Montero suggested that Manchester United still remain De Jong’s preferred destination.
“If you ask me, I would say that between Chelsea and Manchester United, it’s quite favourite Manchester United,” he proclaimed.
Another Manchester United target who could be poached by Chelsea is young Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko.
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Initial reports of United’s interest in one of Europe's hottest prospects broke a week ago, and last night, Fabrizio Romano gave more of an insight into the Red Devil’s pursuit of the RB Salzburg star who could potentially fill the void left by a departing Cristiano Ronaldo.
On his Youtube channel, Romano detailed how it will be “an important week” in the Sesko saga and also gave more details on United’s pursuit of the striker.
“Manchester United are well informed on the situation,” Romano explained, “[and] had more than one direct meeting with [Sesko’s] agents.”
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However, less than 24-hours on from this update, Romano shared in an update that Todd Boehly’s west-London outfit were also in the race for the Slovenian.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1554852129738833923?s=20&t=VkQizFceylcFHRh7y-Ff4w
With Manchester United’s 2022/23 Premier League opener only four days away, fans of the Old Trafford club will be hoping that advances in these separate sagas will occur promptly and with Chelsea threatening to poach both deals for De Jong and Sesko, the Red Devils will have to act fast to avoid missing out to their League rivals.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Frenkie De Jong, Todd Boehly, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag