Gary Neville has sent Man United an indirect transfer message as Chelsea plan a double 'hijack' of United targets in the form of a midfielder and one young striker in particular.
The Blues have only so far signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer and are in the process of planning their next moves. Despite most of the focus being on defensive reinforcements amid the latest boosts on Wesley Fofana and Denzel Dumfries, other areas of the pitch are still coming under consideration and two players have been linked to showcase just this. With Man United continuing to dither on Frenkie de Jong, the latest indications from Spain are that Todd Boehly could make his move to 'hijack' this move very soon and they have two specific weapons in their advantage which could make this possible.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Blues could possibly offer current defensive duo Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta in part-exchange for Barca's number 21 who has been told by manager Xavi he could become a defender next year in his team if he does decide to stay. "I don't know if he's [De Jong] going to stay here. There's still time and a lot of things can still happen," Ronald Koeman's successor commented after his side's latest pre-season win over New York Red Bulls, via The Mirror.
READ MORE: Frenkie de Jong to Chelsea latest: Barcelona admission, fee agreed, Man Utd bid, Tuchel stance
"At the moment he's part of the team, like everyone else. The fact that he played as a central defender in the other games was not a sign that he was leaving. I don't need to send signals on the pitch. I can speak directly with my footballers."
If the Dutchman was to call it quits on his Barca spell which has most recently been marred by a contract dispute in relation to unpaid wages, Barca president Joan Laporta could prefer a Chelsea sale over United due to the good relationship he has already with the new Blues owners.
"We had a very nice dinner in Barcelona and we talked in general about football. He [Todd Boehly] is a very successful businessman. He is involved in sport with the Lakers and Dodgers and now with Chelsea. He looks like a man who knows what he wants to do and it was a very nice dinner," he said in an interview with CBS.
"We have a good relationship and we respect our opponents. Chelsea's [minority] owner Todd Boehly is an extraordinary person. We have had this necessity to be active in the transfer market in order to improve our squad. And it just so happens that some of the players they wanted, we did also. Those players wanted to come to Barcelona because they believe in our project, our history, our style of playing and our coach. Xavi is important."
It's a chain of events that have the Old Trafford hierarchy nervous. No wonder they are willing to throw more money contractual-wise his way if the latest Daily Mail report is anything to go by.
Unsurprisingly, it's not just Richard Arnold that is sweating. Well-known pundit Neville is also clearly nervous as demonstrated by his latest tweet on the situation. He tweeted: "Have we signed De Jong yet? [followed by a laughing face emoji]."
That tweet radiates non-confidence in United's transfer strategy but whether or not a move to Stamford Bridge is really on the cards remains to be seen as a Barca stay is starting to become a real possibility despite the financial situation and the need for the wage bill to be reduced.
However, there is another target that has been linked to the current World Champions that could mean that a double hijack could be on as Erik ten Hag and others start to worry. Boehly has reportedly held a meeting with the agent of young and upcoming RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko according to Slovenian source Sportklub Slovenija.
Chelsea fans - would you take both Frenkie de Jong and Benjamin Sesko this summer and if so, how much should Todd Boehly pay for the pair combined? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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