Chelsea are nearing a transfer agreement with Barcelona for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to The Times.
The Blues have been the biggest spenders in the Premier League this summer. They have already signed Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Marc Cucurella.
There could be several more arrivals over the coming weeks. Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are on the club’s radar. There is now concrete interest in signing De Jong from Barcelona too.
As per The Times, the Blues are on the verge of finalising a transfer fee with the Catalan giants, and they are hopeful that De Jong can be persuaded to join them before the end of the transfer window.
Our view:
For most of the summer, it always seemed that Manchester United were favourites to sign the 25-year-old, but De Jong seems reluctant to join them due to the lack of Champions League football.
Hence, Chelsea have a distinct advantage in signing the Netherlands international. United recently agreed a package worth €85 million (£72m) with Barcelona, and the Blues may need to offer something similar.
Still, the big question remains whether the Catalan giants are prepared to pay his deferred wages such that he can move on. So far, the Spanish outfit have shown no willingness to do so.
This could change soon as the club may need to make a big-money sale such that LaLiga give them permission to register the numerous signings made during the ongoing transfer window.
As per David Ornstein, Chelsea are prepared to pay his outstanding wages at Barcelona, but whether LaLiga allow them to do so is another question. It would also be against FIFA/UEFA’s Code of Practice.
If Chelsea were to finalise a transfer fee, they may have to play the long game until Barcelona sort their ongoing dispute with the player. In our opinion, De Jong could leave before the deadline.
