Chelsea have reportedly submitted a €40 million bid to sign Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Frenkie de Jong has become a key target for Chelsea and Bayern Munich. And the Blues have made their first move for the Barcelona midfielder by lodging an offer worth €40 million, with the Blaugrana demanding €60 million to sell him.
Frenkie de Jong has continued on his upward trajectory since joining Barcelona from Ajax in July 2019. The Dutch international quickly established himself as a pivotal figure for the Catalan club and has been a bright spark in one of their worst-ever phases.
The 24-year-old has made 117 appearances to date for Barcelona, with 24 of those outings coming in the ongoing campaign. But de Jong faces an uncertain future at Camp Nou as Barcelona could cash in on him to ease their financial burden to some extent. And the prospect of signing one of the best midfielders in Europe is not lost on several European bigwigs, with Chelsea among his suitors.
The Blues have been indirectly linked with de Jong as part of a part-exchange deal involving targets on Barcelona’s radar. But Chelsea’s interest in de Jong seems to have firmed up now that the chance of signing him has risen considerably.
The interest from Chelsea is somewhat surprising, though, considering Thomas Tuchel has three world-class central midfielders at his disposal in Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic. But none of the three players make a great deal of creative difference, which could explain the keenness to sign the Barcelona midfielder.
The west Londoners are wasting no time pondering a move, submitting a bid worth €40 million to secure his services. But their offer falls short of Barcelona’s valuation, with the Blaugrana demanding €60 million to let go of their prized midfielder.
The report does add that a compromise can be reached, with Barcelona prepared to offload de Jong if Chelsea can offer around €50 million. But with Bayern Munich also keen on signing the Dutch midfielder, Chelsea will need to quickly decide whether the adjusted €50 million price tag fits their budget.