Barcelona midfielder ‘knows nothing’ about Chelsea’s offer – report

Frenkie de Jong has been in the headlines all summer due to his uncertain future at Barcelona amidst links to Manchester United.

The 25-year-old has been a mainstay in the middle of the park at Camp Nou since joining the club in 2019. However, given his massive wages and Barça’s sticky financial situation, the Catalan giants are open to selling him this summer.

Manchester United have been linked the heaviest with de Jong as new manager Erik ten Hag is keen on reuniting with his former AFC Ajax ward. However, as per recent reports, Chelsea have entered the fray for his signing.

Chelsea owners were in Barcelona to negotiate deals for multiple players and it has been claimed that de Jong’s name was also broached in negotiations.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Frenkie de Jong is completely in the dark about Chelsea’s offer for him. The report claims that the Netherlands international ‘knows nothing’ about the interest from the Blues in him.

The 25-year-old is not entertaining the idea of joining Manchester United due to the lack of Champions League football, while there has been no approach from Chelsea as of yet.

De Jong, for his part, remains insistent on his earlier stance that he is happy at Barcelona and wants to stay put at the club.

Barça president Joan Laporta recently hinted that the Dutchman might have to take a pay cut if he wants to continue at Camp Nou. That development is also said to have come as a surprise for the midfielder and his camp, as the club have not communicated anything of that sort to them directly.

De Jong had already agreed to make changes to his contract in 2020 when he agreed to deferred payments amidst the coronavirus crisis. So, he might be apprehensive over another reduction in payment.

The situation is still an evolving one and more updates can be expected in the coming days. However, nothing has changed from de Jong’s end, who will return to pre-season on Monday.