FRENKIE DE JONG has dealt Chelsea a huge blow in the transfer market after telling them he doesn’t want to leave Barcelona, reports suggest.
Chelsea looked set to hijack De Jong’s transfer to Manchester United, but now it appears they could suffer the same fate as their Premier League rivals by failing to land him.
The Dutchman’s future has been a hot topic this summer, with Barcelona reportedly trying to force him out of the club in order to prevent them breaking financial fair play rules.
The Spanish giant’s attempts to register a number of new signings has been rejected by LaLiga owing to their excessive wage bill, which the sale of De Jong would pay for.
They are even said to have threatened him with legal action to revert back to his pre-2020 deal after finding “evidence of criminality” around the contract given to him by the club’s old board.
Regardless, De Jong has no plans to leave.
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As reported by Sport, the 25-year-old told Chelsea owner Todd Boehly of his intention to stay days ago, with the American then calling him to try and convince him.
However, De Jong reaffirmed his desire to see out his contract at Barcelona which runs until 2026, and “does not want a move in any form.”
Barca boss Xavi and club president Joan Laporta have both expressed their wish to keep De Jong at the club, and the midfielder’s performance in their last game shows why.
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has claimed to “know for a fact” that De Jong does not want a transfer to Man Utd.
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But their disappointing performance against Brighton, particularly midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay, during Erik ten Hag’s first game will make their need for De Jong even more desperate.
This being said, they have reportedly agreed a £15million deal to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus.
Chelsea in contrast to United won their opening game against Everton.
And despite a staggering outlay of over £160m on transfers, the club don’t appear to be finished yet.
Deals for Leicester’s Wesley Fofana and former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are said to be in the works.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
