Chelsea and Barcelona have a love-hate relationship this summer when it comes to transfer dealings, which could be fuelled even further if the latest rumours on Frenkie de Jong are to be believed.
The Blues could fall foul of Barcelona's decision-making, as both Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha could end up playing football at the Spotify Camp Nou next season if the latest suggested deal is to come to fruition. Todd Boehly can, however, be thankful to the Catalan giants for taking some players manager Thomas Tuchel views as surplus to requirements, with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta linked with moves that would see them follow Andreas Christensen to the club.
It must be noted though, that the former of the Spanish pair is a lot more closer to sealing a La Liga move in comparison to Azpilicueta, who was involved in the new Chelsea kit launch on Thursday morning. Surely not more could go on between the two clubs? Well, if the latest is to be believed, Boehly could be about to pull off the biggest transfer hijack since Willian, with various Spanish outlets declaring that the American is 'giving everything' to steal Frenkie De Jong away from Manchester United.
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As per Barca Journalist Gerard Romero, Chelsea's interest in de Jong is 'confirmed' to be legit. Marca Journalist Alberto Rubio added that Boehly is interested in the 25-year-old as he sees him as an 'icon.' The Red Devils' whole summer has revolved around the Dutch midfielder, however, Erik ten Hag's side are yet to get anything over the line in this regard.
football.london understands that Chelsea have 'liked' the idea of signing the former Ajax prodigy for a few years now. Aside from ruining Man United's own plans, signing the Netherlands international could also boost their hopes of signing defensive target Matthijs de Ligt.
The Juventus man is in high demand, with both the Blues and Bayern Munich battling it out for the 22-year-old's signature. Signing de Ligt's good friend could swing the pendulum back in Chelsea's favour after Bayern appeared to up the ante with their latest actions in forcing talks to be 'stopped' between Juventus and the current World Champions.
Speaking about the transfer talk involving De Jong, Barca president Joan Laporta said: "[Frenkie De Jong] is a Barca player. And unless we feel the need or the interest to sell him we won't do it. Frenkie de Jong isn't for sale. We know he has offers. And if at a given moment we are interested in selling him then we would think about it. But right now we won't sell him. Even more, we are acquiring another Franck. Franck Kessie."
Barca's financial situation, even after the first economic lever secured a much-needed cash injection, means they still need more funds to complete their planned transfer spree, so if the LA Dodgers part-owner was prepared to pay more than United, the central midfielder could yet become a Chelsea player before September 1. What could this mean for Declan Rice though?
Chelsea fans- if Todd Boehly was to sign Frenkie De Jong this summer, what do you think this would mean for the Declan Rice situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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