Chelsea are looking to challenge Manchester United to the transfer of Frenkie de Jong.
The Barcelona midfielder has been United’s main summer target but his move from Barcelona is being held up by several factors.
The first is a continued dispute about deferred wages which he is owed by the Catalan club, and the second is that he has no real desire to leave the club.
Barcelona want him to go, though. To free up space on their wage bill, but the impasse has created a transfer backlog across Europe, with several other deals dependent on its conclusion,
And that has given Chelsea the opportunity to try and muscle in on their Premier League rivals. Thomas Tuchel is looking to add another body in midfield, with continued doubts about N’Golo Kanté’s ability to last over a season, whilst Jorginho continues to be linked with a return to Italy.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.