Frenkie de Jong transfer latest: Chelsea nudge ahead of Man Utd by offering Barcelona two players as sweetener

Chelsea are reportedly engineering themselves to the front of the queue in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong having reportedly tabled an offer which includes two Blues stars as makeweights.

The Dutch midfielder finds himself a man in demand this summer and the subject of strong interest from Manchester United. Indeed, Erik ten Hag has made his former Ajax protege his No 1 transfer target this summer. But persuading Barcelona to sell has proved rather problematic.

Indeed, Barcelona have proven something of an immovable object over De Jong’s asking price. Efforts from the Red Devils to land De Jong on a reduced initial payment, with the rest made up in bonuses, have been flat-batted away by Barca.

As a result, United have seemingly agreed to meet their demands with a fee in the region of £55.9m (€65m) seemingly close. That said, De Jong himself doesn’t appear to going anywhere fast. He is seemingly not departing Barcelona without a fight. And that’s hardly a surprise after a report detailed the huge sums of money the LaLiga giants owe the player.

All things told, this has proven one of the most complex transfers in recent memory for Manchester United. Now, reports in Spain claim they could miss out altogether, with Chelsea seemingly in the box seat.

The Blues are also in the market for a new midfielder having waved goodbye to loanee Saul Niguez. Their interest was first mooted last week. But with a deal for Raheem Sterling now closing in, it seems De Jong will become their No 1 target.

Chelsea take upper hand in transfer race

According to journalist Gerard Romero, Chelsea are doing ‘all in their power’ to secure De Jong’s signature. And another Spanish outlet, Revolvo, claims Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is bursting on to the scene with regards a deal.

Furthermore, Chelsea appear to have an upper hand over United in negotiations. That’s amid claims the Blues are offering Barca the chance to sign both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta as sweeteners.

The two Chelsea full-backs have been strongly linked with Barcelona this summer. And while nothing concrete has emerged, the Blues are reportedly giving Barcelona the green light to pursue their signings.

It’s reported that prospective deals for Alonso and Azpilicueta will be concluded independently of any deal for De Jong. As such, the Blues will likely match Manchester United’s offer for the player.

However, Chelsea can also offer two things that will appeal to De Jong: Champions League football and life in London.

United face Frenkie de Jong misery

Having chased De Jong all summer, it would come as a seismic blow were Manchester United to miss out on De Jong now.

He has been the prime target of Ten Hag, who wants to build his team around his compatriot. And having identified midfield as an area of weakness, it would hurt badly to see Chelsea beat them to his signing at the 11th hour.

United do expect to finalise the signing of Christian Eriksen, that said. But with Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba all departing, Ten Hag does have some holes to fill.

Why do Manchester United want Frenkie de Jong?

Why do Manchester United want Frenkie de Jong when the player seemingly doesn't want a move to Old Trafford?

Any snub from De Jong could see United instead move to sign Youri Tielemans. The Belgian is on the market this summer for a fee of around £30m and is rightly regarded as one of the Premier League’s elite midfielders.

That said, they may have to act fast with the midfielder reportedly making up his mind on a move elsewhere.