Chelsea are hoping to leverage Barcelona’s increasing stress about shifting Frenkie de Jong to get a lower price for the midfielder, according to Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard.
The Blues are keen on the Dutchman, but don’t want to pay the £71m that Man U agreed.
Kinsella points out that there’s not necessarily any more reason De Jong would want to go to Chelsea more than Man U, but Barca are certainly doing their best to force him out.
Chelsea are still trying to sign Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona. There's no indication if the player will agree to a move but hoping to at least agree a fee under the £71m bid accepted from Manchester United. https://t.co/xiiqo4jGeT
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 10, 2022
The balance has actually swung in Chelsea’s favour here. Barcelona still desperately need to get rid of the midfielder to save their wage budget, and the player himself has made it very clear he’s not going to Man U.
Will Barca now accept a lower fee than the one they were going to get from Man U, just to get him off the books? They may well do, and Chelsea stand to benefit.
