Barcelona superstar ‘does not rule out’ summer transfer to Chelsea

Barcelona have been surprisingly active in the transfer market this summer. Despite being sunk in debt and in a financial crisis, the Catalans have attracted some of the biggest names in world football.

The Blaugrana have already signed Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie and Raphinha in addition to renewing Ousmane Dembele this window. The icing on the cake was the transfer of Robert Lewandowski which was officially announced earlier this week.

Now, the attention shifts to departures. The player most strongly associated with an exit from Xavi’s side is Frenkie de Jong. It is now a priority for the club to either sell the Dutchman or find alternative solutions to balance the books.

According to reports from SPORT, de Jong is reluctant to leave Barcelona this summer. However, in case he is forced out, the Dutchman does not want to join Manchester United.

Manchester United already have an agreement with Barcelona over a transfer fee. And even though de Jong would reunite with his former manager Erik ten Hag, he does not want to compromise on Champions League football. This factor is pushing him away from Old Trafford.

Instead, the midfield superstar’s first choice is a move to Bayern Munich, but he would not rule out a move to Chelsea either. And while the Germans are not actively looking to sign the midfielder, the Premier League giants are interested.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Chelsea were preparing an official offer for de Jong. The London-based side have been interested in the player for a long time now but never made an official move until now.

If de Jong stays at Barcelona, he will face severe competition to start in midfield. Pedri, Gavi, Nico, Kessie, Sergio Busquets, Pablo Torre and Riqui Puig all fight for just three spots.

Despite Joan Laporta insisting otherwise, Barça are reportedly keen on bidding goodbye to the Dutchman as it would bring in a massive transfer fee and make room on the wage bill for new arrivals.

So, even though de Jong’s intention is to stay at Barcelona, an exit is not off the table. And the midfielder would be open to considering a transfer to Chelsea if an offer is made.