Chelsea are willing to pay Barcelona’s asking price for Frenkie de Jong, and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed what will determine the Manchester United target’s fate.
The summer’s top transfer saga without a doubt centres on Frenkie de Jong’s future. Chelsea’s interest only became more serious in August, while Man Utd’s pursuit has lasted more than 13 weeks.
Barcelona have repeatedly expressed their desire to keep De Jong in the public eye. The fact that they are unable to register a number of their recent additions is about to sink in.
Indeed, according to ESPN, free agent signings Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie could both leave on Saturday for nothing if they don’t register before the start of the LaLiga season this weekend.
There is now renewed optimism that Barcelona will approve several high-profile transfers in the coming days, including those of De Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, both of whom are wanted by the Blues.
For the 25-year-old, the subject of deferred wages is particularly painful. De Jong consented to defer a significant portion of his salary during the Covid pandemic in order to aid Barcelona.
Now that he is owed roughly £17 million, there have been rumours that Barcelona is requesting suitors to accept the deferred salary.
In any case, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano suggested in a piece for Caught Offside that a conclusion to the protracted transfer saga might be imminent.