Transfer Gossip: Frenkie de Jong reality hits Ten Hag as Man Utd hopes grow over deal for Spanish star; Chelsea working on £110m double deal

Manchester United have a strong belief they can sign a Spanish star after seeing their Frenkie de Jong hopes go down the plughole, Chelsea are hoping to make a huge £110m double splash, while Monday’s Transfer Gossip says Fulham are bidding on two defenders.

FRENKIE DE JONG HOPES FADE FOR MAN UTD

Manchester United are finally starting to accept that a deal for Frenkie de Jong will not happen for them this summer.

United have chased the Barcelona star for most of the summer, though securing his deal has been extremely complex. While a fee with Barcelona has been struck, convincing the player to quit Catalonia for Manchester has been far harder.

And with the player still owed £14.4m (€17m) in deferred wages, the situation is certainly complicated. In order to grease the wheels, Gary Neville has doubled down on claims that the midfielder needs to take action against his side.

However, De Jong continues to insist that he has no intention to leave. And despite claims that Xavi has told him he will a) be fifth-choice midfielder and b) will need to take a wages cut to stay, De Jong continues to dig his heels in.

Furthermore, the midfielder is seemingly intent on proving Xavi wrong and becoming a regular in his side.

To further complicate the matters, it now claimed Chelsea are readying an approach to sign De Jong.

The Blues seemingly have a better chance of landing De Jong too given they can offer Champions League football.

And reports suggest they could send Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso to Barcelona in part exchange.

To that end, the Blaugrana have a long-standing interest in the Chelsea duo.

FABIAN RUIZ MOVE COMES INTO SHARP FOCUS FOR MAN UTD

However, Manchester United could have plenty more joy if they pursue a deal for Fabian Ruiz instead.

The Napoli star has established himself as one of Serie A’s finest midfielders during his time in Campania.

He was mentioned as an alternative for Erik ten Hag over the weekend – and now those hopes are rapidly growing.

As per The Sun, the 15-times capped Spain star held talks with Napoli on Saturday over a contract extension.

However, the two parties were unable to agree terms on a deal that is due to expire in summer 2023.

As such, the paper claims Napoli are willing to consider the sale of Fabian Ruiz sale for a bargain £26m (€31m) this summer.

That fee has seemingly got United and Ten Hag excited given his abilities.

Fabian Ruiz wanted by four Premier League clubs this summer

Fabian Ruiz is wanted by Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle this summer for bargain fee of €30m.

And it seems they could switch their plans to try and sign the 26-year-old instead.

United, though, do face competition from Real Madrid, for whom Carlo Ancelotti is also a fan of Ruiz.

He coached him during his days in charge of Gli Azzurri.

However, Real have a plethora of midfield options and Fabian Ruiz seemingly sees a better chance of regular football at Old Trafford.

CHELSEA PUSHING HARD FOR WESLEY FOFANA AND DENZEL DUMFRIES

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is setting his sights on deals for Wesley Fofana and Denzel Dumfries.

It’s been a frustrating summer so far for Tuchel, despite the additions of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. And with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger leaving on frees, their defence feels short of numbers.

As such, it is more centre-halves that Tuchel desperately craves.

However, he has seen his side miss out on first Matthijs de Ligt and then Jules Kounde. The Frenchman’s £42m move to Barcelona will be especially hard to take given Chelsea have chased him for well over a year.

As a result, it seems Leiceseter’s Wesley Fofana is now their top target.

The Foxes, despite reportedly having financial issues, appear in no hurry to sell the Frenchman. To that end, Brendan Rodgers insists they have no plans to sell, having already snubbed their opening approach for the classy defender.

But as per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Chelsea remain unfazed by Rodgers’ stance. And he says they are readying a move for Fofana, despite Leicester’s prohibitive £80m asking price.

He claims the Blues will offer Leicester their pick of their several fringe players in order to reduce the outlay. And while no players are named, they reportedly include Callum Hudson-Odoi, Malang Sarr and Ross Barkley.

Chelsea are also pushing hard to sign Denzel Dumfries.

Inter reportedly value the Dutchman at around the £30m mark, having bought him last summer for just £12.7m.

The Dutchman impressed in Serie A in his wing-back role, contributing five goals and four assists from 33 Serie A appearances.

FULHAM BID FOR TWO DEFENDERS

Fulham hope to sign a new defender before the new season gets underway.

The Cottagers are back in the Premier League after a season away and this time hope to stay.

They have made four new signings so far with Joao Palhinha and Andreas Pereira strengthening their midfield.

But they want another defensive option added, and The Athletic says deals are on the table for two players.

To that end, they have offered a package to Chelsea for Malang Sarr.

They have offered to sign him on loan or on a permanent deal – whichever Chelsea decide. However, the future of the Frenchman is interlinked with Chelsea’s current hopes of signing a new defender.

If they manage to get their targets brought in, Sarr may be allowed to depart.

Fulham are also looking to West Ham’s Issa Diop as an alternative.

And they have reportedly lodged an offer worth an initial £15m to try and tempt the Hammers into business.