Frenkie de Jong does not plan to leave Barcelona despite being heavily linked with Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to a report by Spanish daily SPORT, Frenkie de Jong does not envision a move away from Camp Nou, as he is very keen to continue his association with Barcelona. This could be a severe jolt to both Chelsea and Manchester United.
The Dutch midfielder was the most talked about player in the summer as he looked to be on the verge of a potential move to Manchester United. Erik ten Hag specifically asked the recruitment team about his former disciple as he had planned to fork out his plans using the player as the bedrock.
The Red Devils even had agreed on a fee with Barcelona. But the player stayed defiant in his stance to stay. And before the alarm bell could ring, Manchester United roped in Casemiro from Real Madrid to solve their midfield crisis.
The Brazilian international encountered a slow start but has grown into stature and has played a massive role as they are on the verge of breaching the top four. Despite Casemiro’s dominance, there would be enough room for another midfielder should de Jong join Manchester United.
Both the players are of different moulds and a possible Casemiro-de Jong partnership can provide the uplift Manchester United need to close the gap to the Premier League bigwigs.
Chelsea also tried their hand at agreeing to a deal for de Jong. But the Barcelona midfielder was not convinced with the project Thomas Tuchel had gathered at Stamford Bridge.
The German manager also saw his stint coming to a premature end, with former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter appointed as his successor. The Englishman has had a tumultuous start to his Chelsea career and would certainly love to have the 25-year-old in his ranks especially if either or both of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho leave the club in the summer.
It is not yet confirmed whether the Blues will invest both money and time significantly for a player who has reiterated his desire to keep playing for Barcelona. Both Chelsea and Manchester United will likely try their luck at least once as the player can change the shape of a game if he is on a song.
