Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has made it clear he will not make a move for Frenkie de Jong until Barcelona lower their demands.
The Blues are still counted among the Dutchman's suitors as Barcelona desperately try to offload him this summer. The La Liga side have insisted they cannot afford to pay the Dutchman's wages, despite a summer spending spree, and would be happy to sell him.
Manchester United have looked to be in pole position to sign him for much of the summer, but De Jong is not keen on a move to Old Trafford. That appeared to open the door for Chelsea to enter the race for the Dutch international.
Tuchel is keen to boost his midfield options following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. Following the injury issues of N'Golo Kante last term, Tuchel wants to add at least one new face in the middle of the park.
De Jong appeared to be one of his top targets to fill that role, having previously attempted to sign him while in charge at Paris Saint-Germain. But according to Sport, Barcelona's high demands could end up scuppering a deal.
According to Sport, the Blues are yet to submit an official bid for the 25-year-old, who is 'open' to a joining Chelsea. But currently holding the move back is Barca's demands for a £67million fee, which Chelsea 'do not intend' to meet.
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United have already submitted an offer in the region of those demands, but Chelsea are yet to move forward. The situation could change if Barca lower their asking price, but the solution is said to be 'not easy'.
It is stated that Barca are still trying to find a new club for De Jong, but it is proving to be 'very complicated'. De Jong is insisting that he wants to stay at the Nou Camp, though he has so far rejected Barca's request for him to take a pay cut to do so.
Barca are said to be clear that they cannot afford to keep De Jong if he insists on being paid his previously agreed wage. But De Jong has the 'upper hand' in the negotiations, which is why he has not yet joined a new club.
With Barca pulling out all the stops to to move De Jong out of the Nou Camp, they have been sent a warning over their actions. La Liga president Javier Tebas has reminded them of the rules around attempting to sell players.
"What La Liga is going to do is to comply with our collective agreement with the Association of Spanish Footballers. The players cannot be split from the team or pressured. It is what the collective agreement, the law, reason and ethics mark. From there, Barcelona knows the rules and the responsibilities that exist in that aspect," Tebas said.
United remain heavily interested in him and are ready to agree a fee with Barca, but De Jong is reluctant to link back up with Erik ten Hag. And while Chelsea are unwilling to match their asking price, Barcelona may need to change their strategy to offload the midfielder.
