Chelsea, Man U for continue battle for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong
By Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor
It is no longer news that Chelsea have entered the race to sign Manchester United prime target Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona and are reported to be in a better position to convince the Catalans to allow the Dutchman to leave using Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso as bait.
But Captain Azpilicueta has renewed his Chelsea contract for two years.
Recall that Barcelona have never hidden their interest in both Spanish wing-backs and have waited for the players to switch allegiance to Camp Nou.
Specifically, the Catalans need someone who can challenge Jordi Alba in his position and had spotted Chelsea’s captain as a perfect match for such a role.
Likewise, Alonso had earlier said he wanted to return to Spain to get closer to his family despite having a year left to run in his contract but Chelsea having lost two of its defenders to Real Madrid and Barcelona, refused to honour the 31-year-old’s request.
However, Chelsea may have reviewed their earlier decision and are ready to enter into negotiations with the Catalans for Frenkie de Jong.
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De Jong is Erik ten Hag’s prime target for the season having worked with the player while in Ajax but the midfielder has refused to concede to the move because United failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Reports from Spain reveal that Chelsea are yet to make an offer for the player because their approach is to convince the player and after there is headway in the discussions, they enter into formal negotiations with the club.
Despite the buzzingly interest, a Spanish report said Frenkie still does not value leaving this summer but if he is open to leaving Camp Nou, London would be more attractive for the Dutch midfielder and his family for two fundamental reasons; Chelsea qualified for the UEFA Champions League and both the player and his family will prefer to live in London than in Manchester.
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