Todd Boehly has been told how much Chelsea could have to fork out in order to sign Frenkie de Jong from under Manchester United's noses this summer. football.london understand that the west Londoners have 'liked' the idea of signing the Barcelona star for a few years now, but Thomas Tuchel faces great competition from Erik ten Hag.
The 25-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with an exit from the Camp Nou this summer, with the Spanish giants eager to solve their financial woes. Ten Hag quickly placed United at the front of the queue for the Netherlands international's signature amid a fruitful history together at Ajax, but Chelsea have now entered the frame.
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, De Jong is said to prefer a move to Stamford Bridge over Old Trafford now that the Blues have informed Barcelona of their interest. Chelsea are believed to be confident in their mission to sign the Dutchman, with Champions League qualification playing a key factor.
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However, while Boehly may have significant leverage in completing a deal, United have already encountered several issues in the race to sign De Jong. The Telegraph claim that the Red Devils reached an agreement with the Catalan side for the midfielder that would see them pay an initial £55million, with an additional £17million payable in add-ons.
But, a move has stalled due to money owed to De Jong by Barcelona in deferred wages from the pandemic. The Dutchman, who sees his contract at Camp Nou expire in 2026, reportedly agreed to to reduce his salary by £9.4million in 2020/21 and by £4.3million last season meaning that he's owed £13.7million in basic wages.
The Telegraph add that De Jong is to be owed another £3.4million in waived bonuses for playing in at least 60 per cent of Barcelona’s matches across the previous two seasons. Therefore, unless a settlement is reached, any suitor who looks to sign the midfielder could have to cover as much as £17million in deferred wages.
Nonetheless, regardless of De Jong's wage dilemma, the Dutchman is valued at £102million by CIES Football Observatory. And, the Barcelona star could be the first of Tuchel's proposed rebuild.
Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see.
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