Chelsea will 'rattle' rivals by signing £67.6m star at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer would be huge, says journalist Dean Jones.

The Dutchman is also a target for Manchester United, and Jones thinks the Blues would end up really rattling their Premier League rivals if they can beat them to his signature.

What is the latest news involving De Jong?

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have held talks over signing De Jong and there is a confidence that he will choose the west London club over United if he does decide to leave the Camp Nou.

Prior, SPORT reported that Chelsea were preparing to make an offer for the 25-year-old.

The Spanish newspaper claims that Barcelona want €80m (£67.6m) for De Jong, while other outlets have stated that United have already agreed to pay the La Liga side £63m plus add-ons for the player.

It is believed, though, that the Netherlands international’s preference is to remain at his current club.

What has Jones said about De Jong, Chelsea and United?

Given how long United have been chasing De Jong for, Jones believes they would be left rattled if he ends up at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: “Chelsea getting De Jong would be huge and also it would really rattle Man United. For United to miss out on Frenkie de Jong after all this would be a disaster, really.

“It kind of reminds me of when United tried to sign Cesc Fabregas but ended up signing [Marouane] Fellaini. If United have been chasing Frenkie de Jong all window but end up signing a modern-day version of Fellaini, then [Erik] ten Hag’s going to have a long season ahead of him.”

Who needs De Jong more, Chelsea or United?

With Thomas Tuchel having N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher all to call upon, Chelsea certainly have good midfield options.

Kante and Jorginho’s contracts will be up next year, so that is obviously a worry and possibly explains why the Blues are targeting De Jong. But, as of today, they are available for selection and there is still a chance that both players end up extending their current deals.

Ten Hag, on the other hand, does not have that sort of luxury. At present, the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Donny van de Beek are his main midfield options, with the first two of that trio recently coming in for heavy criticism.

Speaking on Sky Sports (via MailOnline) after United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton last Sunday, club legend Roy Keane said: “The [lack of] decision-making and football intelligence from midfield, particularly Fred. I’ve been going on about it for a long time – Fred and McTominay are not good enough.”

It is thus easy to see why United would be left feeling frustrated if they lost De Jong to Chelsea, who seem to have an advantage over them thanks to their Champions League status.