Chelsea are in the picture to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong, according to today’s Mundo Deportivo.
The 26-year-old’s current deal lasts until 2026 and he hasn’t responded yet after the La Liga side offered him a new contract three months ago.
Barca want to tie the Chelsea target down to a new deal and if he doesn’t want to commit, they want the midfielder to let them know.
If De Jong decides against signing an extension, the Catalan club believe the next window would be ideal to cash in from his sale. In that case, the Netherlands international will be asked to bring in offers.
Mundo journalist Lluís Canut has already claimed the player is considering leaving after this season.
The newspaper adds De Jong’s asking price is around €100m and Barca feel this is a fair price, considering Chelsea paid over €100m for both Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo in 2023.
Barca believe the Dutchman has a market in the Premier League, where Chelsea are one of the clubs in the mix.
It’s claimed the Blues ‘could be willing to pay a lot of money’ to secure his services.
To sum it up, it’s time for De Jong ‘to decide’ and if he wants to leave, he’ll have to bring in an offer of around €100m.
Despite all of that, Barcelona should probably have learned from previous efforts that De Jong and his camp don’t bow to pressure.
