Transfer News: Chelsea have entered the race to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona
According to Sky Sports (h/t football.london), Chelsea have entered the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. This comes amid reports that rivals Manchester United have had their move stalled for the Dutch midfielder.
The Red Devils have agreed on a fee of £71.5 million with Barcelona for the midfielder, but issues surrounding wages and bonuses owed by the latter have stalled the move. Chelsea have now entered the race for the midfielder and will hope to play their cards right.
De Jong moved to Barcelona in 2019 from Ajax and is considered one of the best midfielders in the modern game. He was part of the famous Ajax Amsterdam squad of 2018/19 that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Current United manager Erik ten Hag was the then coach of Ajax and he is keen on reuniting with the player at Old Trafford.
But now things could change as Chelsea have informed Barcelona that they are interested in the player. The Dutch midfielder has no interest in leaving the Catalunya club but the Blues will hope to provide him with a good alternative.
Thomas Tuchel has his plate full in the midfield department. It is really surprising that the club have shown interest in a midfielder when other departments are lacking players. The likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic are still on top of their game and can continue to be deployed in the Chelsea midfield for a few more years.
Up-and-coming players like Conor Gallagher are also part of the team for next season. Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, who are usually deployed upfront, can still play in the middle of the park as and when required. To add to this, de Jong is very unlikely to come cheaply, such money which could be used to get in a number nine or a defender.
There is no doubt that de Jong is a fantastic player and would make a very fine addition to the Chelsea team. But having him on the team would mean having to give up on an experienced Premier League midfielder, which would not be a wise choice. It could be interesting to see how Tuchel manages the team if de Jong arrives.
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Though the report claims that Chelsea have shown interest in de Jong, it would be very unwise for the club to go big on him this summer. They could perhaps go for the player once Tuchel feels that his needs in defence and attack are addressed. For now, we are better off prioritising other positions.