Todd Boehly reportedly called Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong in a bid to convince him to join Chelsea - but didn't get the answer he was hoping for.
The Blues owner, currently in primary control of Chelsea's transfer business following his consortium's £4.25billion takeover, has identified De Jong as a top target ahead of the final three weeks of the summer transfer window. But Boehly's attempts to smooth talk the 25-year-old midfielder to Stamford Bridge appear to have failed, despite Barcelona seemingly doing their best to force him out of the Camp Nou this summer and Manchester United still being desperate to sign him.
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, via Metro, De Jong listened to the American head honcho's pitch during a lengthy phone call, although his charm offensive fell on deaf ears. The Netherlands international is said to have reiterated his desire to remain in Cataluyna and see out his contract with the Blaugrana.
But Barca want De Jong to make a compromise in order to stay, with the club's previous board having amended his deal during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Dutchman agreed to defer £14million worth of wages, but due to Barcelona's well-documented financial woes, the club say they can't pay him yet.
Rather than cut his losses and move Manchester or London, De Jong is determined to continue representing his "dream club," who're even threatening legal action over his contract. The Athletic claim that Camp Nou chiefs - who've already agreed a £63m fee with United - have informed the player that they'd found evidence of criminal actions within the extension he signed in 2020.
Due to the renewal being handed out under the previous Blaugrana regime led by Josep Bartomeu, current president Joan Laporta has repeatedly urged De Jong to take a fresh wage cut if he wants to remain part of Xavi Hernandez 's side. Laporta has maintained that Barca ideally don't want to sell the former Ajax prodigy, but admits that the club have received bids for his services this summer.
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"Frenkie de Jong is a Barca player of great quality and we want him to stay," the Barcelona head honcho declared. "With him and his teammates, we have a very powerful midfield. He has offers, but we want him to stay and he wants to stay too."
The situation leaves both Chelsea and United frustrated and having to search for alternatives. While Blues boss Thomas Tuchel aims to add to his midfield before September 1's deadline day, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag - who coached De Jong to stardom at Ajax - has reiterated that his club will only sign "the right player."
"You don't need any player, you need the right player, that's what we're working for," Ten Hag affirmed before his side's 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday. "If it's not the right player, no (we would not sign another player). We need the right players. We said it before, the squad is still searching to strengthen the squad."
