Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong would only prefer to join Chelsea if he leaves Barcelona this summer, according to Catalonian daily SPORT.
Barcelona, who are preparing for their first full season under Xavi, have had an eventful summer transfer window so far. They have made four major additions to their squad in the shape of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
However, the financially-impaired Blaugrana have so far failed with their attempts to sell De Jong to raise funds. The Catalans even agreed a €85 million deal with Manchester United earlier this month, but the player is intent on staying at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have reportedly asked De Jong to almost cut his salary by half to stay at the club. The midfielder, though, is not prepared to make such a compromise, with the club still owing him around €20 million in wages.
It has now emerged that the 25-year-old ‘would only agree to leave’ Barcelona to join Chelsea. While the Blues have been credited with an interest in him, they are not prepared to pay as much as Manchester United, as per SPORT.
De Jong is grateful to Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag for taking the effort to sign him. However, the Netherlands international is ‘not too much in favor’ of going to Old Trafford, according to the aforementioned source.
The Blaugrana are keen to sell De Jong and raise funds to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. It now remains to be seen if they can convince the Dutchman to leave the club before the transfer window slams shut.
Ball is in Chelsea’s court to sign Barcelona star De Jong
The ball is now in Chelsea’s court to try and strike a deal for the former Ajax midfielder. It remains to be seen if the Blues are prepared to match Manchester United’s offer for the player.
It is worth remembering that Barcelona beat the London giants to the signings of their two top targets. Thomas Tuchel’s side were hopeful of signing Raphinha before he joined the Catalans, while Jules Kounde also appears to be on his way to Camp Nou.
The La Liga giants have also been heavily linked with a move for Blues duo Cesar Azpilcueta and Marcos Alonso. It is thus unclear whether the Stamford Bridge outfit would be open to doing business with Xavi’s side.