Chelsea are currently in a position to make an official offer to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Spanish outlet Sport claim (Page 3).
The Netherlands international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish giants this summer, but he has yet to give the green light for a transfer.
Manchester United recently agreed a deal worth £72 million (€85m) for his services, but he has no desire of joining them due to the lack of Champions League football.
On top of this, De Jong does not like the city of Manchester. The midfielder, however, is open to moving to London with Champions League football up for grabs with Chelsea.
The Blues have not yet made an approach to sign De Jong this summer, but Sport reveal that the club are now prepared to make an official offer to land the Netherlands star.
Barcelona want at least £67m (€80m) to part ways with the 25-year-old. They are prepared to use the incoming transfer funds to sign Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Our view:
Barcelona have decided to activate a third economic lever today, having agreed to sell 25 per cent of their Barca Studios production house to Socios.com for £83.7m.
LaLiga could grant them permission to register new signings as a result, but the club still need to recoup funds if they are to make further purchases in the transfer window.
Silva has emerged as a top target for the Catalan giants, but they need to make a big-money sale first. De Jong seems the most likely candidate to head for the exit door.
De Jong has no plans of accepting a significant pay-cut to stay which is a reason behind Barcelona’s stance.
Chelsea could capitalise on this situation to land De Jong. The midfielder could be tempted to join the Blues with the assurance of playing in the Champions League.
The Blaugrana are looking for a hefty fee for his services, but the Blues could reduce the overall valuation by including Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta in the deal.
The duo are of interest to Xavi Hernandez’s side. Meanwhile, De Jong would be a superb addition to the squad, and could be a key player under manager Thomas Tuchel.
Both Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have been brilliant performers in the centre of the park for Chelsea, but the duo have shown signs of regression over the past 12 months.
De Jong’s strong distribution, ball control and awareness would make him a quality acquistion for Chelsea.
