Frenkie de Jong is holding crunch talks with Barcelona as Chelsea look to complete a double swoop for the Dutch midfielder and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Marcos Alonso going the opposite way.
It comes amid a protracted saga over De Jong with both Manchester United and the Blues pursuing a transfer. Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag recently instructed his side to remain patient on a deal after holding fresh talks with the player but the Blues are believed to be becoming increasingly confident of securing his signature.
While United have an initial fee in place with the Catalan club over a transfer, which would reunite De Jong with his former Ajax boss Ten Hag, no final agreement is yet in place for a move. With negotiations over that transfer now spanning three months, Chelsea have registered an interest in gazumping the Red Devils. Blues chiefs have made contact with Barca and held discussions with De Jong's representatives and are now strong contenders to sign him from under United's noses.
Unlike United, Chelsea are able to offer the Dutch midfielder Champions League football. It comes amid reports that De Jong's contract situation has caused tension in Barca's dressing room while the player was insulted by a group of the Blaugrana's fans outside their training facilities on Wednesday, amid calls to lower his salary.
One of the key reasons that the move has been so protracted is that De Jong is owed €17million in amortizations and back payments by Barca. That is related to the renewed contract he signed with the club in October 2020, under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who, alongside the rest of the board, resigned weeks later.
De Jong was one of four players to pen new contracts at that time alongside Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet. Pique has this week accepted a fresh salary reduction with the club while midfielder Sergio Busquets is restructuring his contract. De Jong has rejected the club's request to accept a wage cut, which AS claims has caused tension in the dressing room.
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Barcelona are reportedly considering taking legal action over De Jong's contract after asking him to take a pay cut, while also examining the deals of Ter Stegen and Lenglet. The Catalan giants have been unable to register their five new signings and two contract renewals this summer with La Liga and have been told to reduce their financial outgoings.
This financial situation has also opened the door for Chelsea to land Aubameyang, in a sensational move that would come a little over six months after he moved to the Camp Nou from Arsenal. This year's arrivals of Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Raphinha have ramped up competition for attacking players.
Aubameyang is close to Blues boss Thomas Tuchel after their time together at Borussia Dortmund and the two may be reunited at Stamford Bridge this summer as Chelsea look to replace Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. Blues wing-back Alonso is set to join Barca following Marc Cucurella's arrival at Stamford Bridge, pushing him further down the pecking order on the left side of the defence.
