Transfer News: Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong decides to stay with Barcelona
According to Spanish outlet SPORT (h/t Daily Mail), Frenkie de Jong doesn’t want to leave Barcelona despite massive interest from Chelsea.
Frenkie de Jong‘s move to Barcelona in 2019 hasn’t gone as planned and the midfielder has failed to reach the levels expected of him. The 24-year-old star has bagged only two goals and two assists in 27 appearances in this campaign. Even though he remains a crucial player for Xavi, the lack of productivity and consistency has created massive speculations on his future.
de Jong was linked with an away move from Barcelona in the January transfer window. European heavyweights Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are all keeping a tab on the situation. Chelsea were believed to have made an opening bid of £33million at that time but were unable to land the player.
However, it seems the Dutch star isn’t keen to end his partnership with Barcelona yet. Spanish outlet SPORT claims the 24-year-old midfielder has decided to stay at Camp Nou for the foreseeable future.
The arrival of academy graduates Gavi and Nico Gonzalez has created major threats for De Jong. But it is believed that the Dutch star is confident that he can rejuvenate his form, and he also has the support of the manager and the club hierarchy.
Should Chelsea look for other alternatives?
Chelsea’s midfield trio is getting older and the club will need to look at replacements sooner or later. In this campaign, all three central midfielders – N’Golo Kanté, Jorginho and Mateo Kovačić spent significant time out injured. With them not getting any younger, Chelsea will need to ensure they have players who can make a difference on the field.
Our board has to find young alternatives, and De Jong certainly fits the bill. The Blues do have several top young talents in their roster and adding the Dutchman to their ranks will only strengthen them further. With de Jong all but ready to stay put, it remains to be seen if the Blues will still make an effort to secure his services.
If he doesn’t come to West London, it could spell good news for Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour- two Chelsea loanees impressing in the Premier League this season.
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However, the Dutch star’s interests apparently lie elsewhere. Amid such a situation we have to divert our interest to other targets who are realistically attainable. The coming summer window could become crucial for us, and our board should concentrate on ensuring Tuchel has the tools at his disposal to ensure sustained success.