Frenkie de Jong would reportedly prefer a move to Chelsea over Manchester United if he is forced to leave Barcelona this summer, according to Andy Mitten.
Frenkie de Jong Would Opt for Chelsea Amid Manchester United Interest
United Have Been Pursuing the Star for Over Three Months
Erik ten Hag has made his interest in De Jong evident since the beginning of the transfer window and has had United officials actively pursuing a deal for over 13 weeks, whereas Chelsea’s concrete interest was only revealed last week.
United’s leading executives Richard Arnold and John Murtough have been sent on a number of trips to Barcelona to try and oversee a deal and the clubs have had an agreement in place of around £71.5million in total.
Mitten reported: “[De Jong] has told at least two people that he would prefer Chelsea and London over United and Manchester.”
Seemingly, United remain confident in being able to convince their target, as he also said: “United would not have wasted so much energy into the deal for Frenkie de Jong if they didn’t think it could be done.
“Barcelona think that United have behaved in the correct manner in their dealings with the club.”
Chelsea Keen to Bring De Jong to West London
Chelsea opened talks with the Dutchman at the beginning of August in hopes of hijacking a potential move to Manchester for the midfielder. They are able to offer De Jong the chance to play Champions League football, which has proven to be a stalling factor in the United negotiations.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are already in talks with the Catalan club over Marcos Alonso, who is in the final stages of a transfer to Xavi’s side. The Spanish side also beat Chelsea to the signings of Jules Kounde and Raphinha this summer.
Whilst De Jong’s preference is to stay in Spain, the ongoing issue surrounding his contract at the club could result in the 25-year-old being pushed to leave. David Ornstein has published a report detailing how Barcelona could threaten legal action over the player’s contract.
Who Needs the Creative Midfielder More?
The London side kick-started their season with a win at Goodison Park, with Jorginho’s penalty being the only goal of the game. Whilst the team’s performance did enough to see out the victory, they were undoubtedly missing a bit of creative spark in the middle of the pitch that the likes of De Jong can bring. It’s no wonder Tuchel is pushing to agree personal terms as quickly as possible.
Ten Hag’s first league game in charge of the Reds ended in defeat at Old Trafford. United lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion and looked no different on the pitch to the lacklustre side that finished last season in sixth place. Following the squad’s performance, one thing was clear: more signings are needed.
The club oversaw 11 departures once the 2021/2022 season concluded, and have since reinforced the first-team with only three signings: Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia – making it no surprise they opened their season with a loss.
If the board want to support Ten Hag and get the best out of a well experienced and proven manager, backing him in the transfer market should take top priority over the coming weeks.
Read more: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
