Surajit Das
Frenkie de Jong open to Chelsea move after rejecting Manchester United pursuit
According to Sport (h/t Metro), Frenkie de Jong would be open to joining Chelsea despite recently turning down their Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Man United has been making every effort to bring in Barcelona’s De Jong for new manager Erik ten Hag so far this summer. The Red Devils and Barcelona even have an agreement in place for his transfer for a fee near €85 million (£72.2m).
However, the Netherlands international has turned down Manchester United for a variety of reasons. De Jong has no desire to reside in Manchester, and more crucially, he desires to play in the Champions League, which is not possible if he transfers to Old Trafford.
The 25-year-old would want to remain at Barcelona, but if the team forces him to leave, he would be open to relocating to London and playing for Chelsea as he believes the Blues have a solid sporting project and a good structure.
De Jong can pretty much do anything on the football pitch. He is capable of dropping deep dodging defenders, squeezing through players, making incisive passes, and playing a killer pass. However, pursuing such a player comes with its own disadvantages.
Although Manchester United supporters may not want to hear it, the club has simply become less desired than they once were. The club has been somewhat disorganised since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
For a player like the Dutchman, the absence of Champions League competition in the upcoming season is definitely a major consideration.
The exorbitant amount of interest from Manchester United comes after Paul Pogba’s departure. Without Pogba, Manchester United’s creative midfield can suffer, especially with the loss of backup alternatives like Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard.
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Without Champions League competition, it can be difficult to find players of Frenkie de Jong’s calibre, and the Dutchman is undoubtedly not doing Manchester United any favours. United may suffer as a result of their own fault if the current predicament does not get better quickly.
It would be embarrassing to now lose out on him after chasing him all summer.
