REPORT: Chelsea Now ‘Close To Agreeing A Fee’ For 63M Rated Netherlands International
Chelsea are “close to agreeing a fee” for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to The Times.
Journalist Tom Roddy claims that the Blues are expected to reach an agreement with Barca to sign the Netherlands international but the final decision still rests with the player:
Chelsea are close to agreeing a fee with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong.
Remains unclear whether midfielder will agree to #cfc move – financial dispute with Barca remains. But De Jong wants Champions League football which #mufc couldn’t offer.
Story: https://t.co/WtbtvF5evF
— Tom Roddy (@TomRoddy_) August 10, 2022
Manchester United have already had an offer worth an initial €75m (£63m) accepted so it’s very likely that Chelsea will be able to secure de Jong’s services for a similar amount.
It had been assumed that the Blues wouldn’t go this far unless they had the approval of the player, but de Jong’s situation is rather complicated.
The Dutchman’s preference would be to stay at the Camp Nou but he is being pressured into leaving so that Barcelona can reduce their wage bill and register some of their new signings.
A dispute over the amount of money owed to him by the La Liga club has also been a factor, although reports suggest that Chelsea would be willing to compensate de Jong for his loss of earnings.
As Roddy points out, it is believed that the 25-year-old would prefer a move to London over a switch to United, with Champions League football said to be one of the key factors. However, a deal remains far from being completed.