Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong will only agree to leave the Nou Camp for Chelsea this summer, according to reports.
The Dutch midfielder is a transfer target of Manchester United but he has no interest in joining the Red Devils despite being a fan of head coach Erik ten Hag.
The former Ajax man has made the 25-year-old his priority signing this summer with his club even striking a deal with the Catalan giants that will bring De Jong to Old Trafford.
But the Dutch international has repeatedly made it clear that he does not want to join the Red Devils, and even admitted in previous reports that he is ‘very grateful’ to his former boss Erik ten Hag for targeting him.
De Jong is said to hold genuine concerns over how Manchester United is run, with the player’s view said to be that it is run ‘erratically’ by management, which has discouraged him from wanting to link back up with his former boss.
As a result, he would only leave the Nou Camp this summer if Chelsea come came calling according to Sport via Sportsmail. This is because the Stamford Bridge club can guarantee him Champions League football and because he appreciates the ‘project’ and ‘structure’ that is being built under new controlling owner Todd Boehly at Chelsea.
However, the report suggests that Thomas Tuchel’s side are not willing to pay as much as Manchester United for De Jong with Barcelona desperate to move him on if he doesn’t agree to lower his wages.
But given that Barca and Chelsea are currently at transfer loggerheads because of the transfer of Jules Kounde from Sevilla, a deal between both clubs is unlikely.
Chelsea feel aggrieved that Barca have snatched Kounde and Raphinha from under their noses and have moved to block the transfer of Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta.
They are not keen on doing business with Barca again and might not be interested in signing their player, De Jong.
