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Chelsea are ready to make an offer to Barcelona for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United all summer.
However, the player himself wants to stay with the Catalan club, not only because he is happy there, but also because he is owed millions in deferred wages, having agreed to help them out during their recent financial crisis.
Barcelona want to sell him because it will help them invest further in the transfer market, and it could enable them then to make a bid for Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.
Relations between Chelsea and Barcelona have not been totally amicable during the current window. The Premier League club have already lost out on the signings of Raphinha and Jules Koundé to their Spanish rivals. They are also unhappy about the way they continue to pursue club captain César Azpilicueta, even though he is under contract at Stamford Bridge for another year.
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.