The Dutchman favors a move to Manchester United, despite interest from Chelsea
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is favoring a move to Old Trafford despite interest from former European champions Chelsea. Manchester United have been holding talks with Barcelona for several months now regarding De Jong. According to the Mirror, De Jong is keen on a reunion with his former gaffer Erik ten Hag.
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been spotted in Barcelona to discuss potential transfers. Barcelona have already acquired the services of one Chelsea player Andreas Christensen. The Dane left Chelsea on a free transfer to join Barcelona this summer. Barcelona are also rumored to be interested in Chelsea fullback duo Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta. Meanwhile, Chelsea could be on the market for Frenkie de Jong. The West London club could be looking to hijack the deal for Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United. However, they might not be successful in this as De Jong favors a move to Old Trafford.
The De Jong-Barcelona-Manchester United saga this summer
Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is a huge admirer of Frenkie de Jong. Ten Hag and De Jong previously worked together at Ajax where they enjoyed a brilliant string of matches. Ten Hag was crucial in the development of De Jong while he was at Ajax. De Jong made 53 appearances for Ajax in the Eredivisie. In his time he contributed 3 goals and eight assists for the Dutch Champions. Moreover, his heroics in the 2018-19 season of the Champions League earned him the tournament’s midfielder of the season.
Since his move to Barcelona, it has been a topsy-turvy ride for the midfielder. He has shown flashes of the brilliant player that he is but has struggled to perform this consistently. Moreover, Barcelona remains his first choice as a club. Speaking to ESPN, the midfielder had this to say:
“I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age. I just said it too. I’ve never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I’ve achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice”
De Jong still has four years left on his Barcelona contract. However, to prise him away from the club, interested clubs will have to pay around €75m (£64.6m) for the Dutchman.
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