Frenkie de Jong breaks silence on Chelsea transfer interest amid Barcelona decision

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has broken his silence on Chelsea and Manchester United's itransfer nterest this summer after opting to stay in Spain.

The Dutch international was heavily linked with a move to both Stamford Bridge and Old trafford this summer, with the Blues looking to add midfield reinforcements.

Barcelona were also reportedly keen to see their central midfielder depart in order to reduce their financial demands.

However, he opted to remain at the Camp Nou and Barcelona instead offloaded the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Chelsea on Deadline Day.

Missing out on De Jong, Chelsea instead opted to sign Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus along with Aubameyang late in the window.

Edson Alvarez from Ajax was also heavily linked as Chelsea looked to bring in reinforcements, with both N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic suffering injuries early on in the season.

With ex-head coach Thomas Tuchel a huge fan of De Jong, the Blues were looking to make a move for the Dutch international but had to settle for alternatives when he decided to stay in Spain.

Graham Potter has since replaced Tuchel as head coach for Chelsea, which could affect their stance on the midfielder in future transfer windows.

Man United were also in the market for De Jong throughout the window, with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag interested in De Jong.

However, the midfielder did not make a move this summer and has since broken his silence on his decision to stay.

When asked about deciding to stay at Barcelona, as quoted by TheEuropeanLad, De Jong said: “I already decided in May that I wanted to stay at Barcelona and I never changed this decision.”

He continued to comment on links to England, with Chelsea and Man United asked about in specific.

As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, he concluded: "A lot has happened and things were a little troubled, but my own decision was clear from the start."

Chelsea will compete with their current squad until January, with it believed that they will return for another midfielder in the winter window, as Alvarez from Ajax looks the most likely arrival.