Chelsea have been encouraged to make a bid for Barcelona forward Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
This comes after co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghali visited Spain to meet with the Barcelona board on Thursday.
It was unclear as to what was discussed during the meeting as Boehly sat down for dinner with his Chelsea co-owner and members of the Barcelona board.
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Reports in Spain believe that Blues pair Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta could be on their way to the Camp Nou this summer to join Andreas Christensen as part of Xavi’s defence next season.
The La Liga side were said to be hopeful of agreeing a fee for Azpilicueta, while Alonso is close to a move to Barcelona.
Boehly confirmed that the clubs had reached an agreement of some sort, with it unclear as to what this was regarding.
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While Alonso and Azpilicueta will no doubt have been discussed, other potential areas will likely have been talked about.
Both clubs are interested in Leeds United's Raphinha, with Barcelona running out of time to match the Blues’ offer of £55 million, which has already been accepted.
The latest reports have also linked the Blues with a move for De Jong, who has also been reported to be set for a move to Manchester United.
It has now been revealed that Chelsea were given positive feedback regarding making a move for the Dutch international this summer.
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According to Nick Purewal, Barcelona are thought to have encouraged Chelsea to make a bid for De Jong during Thursday’s meeting.
However, Chelsea’s interest in the 25-year-old remains unclear amid Man United’s interest.
Publicly, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted they want to keep hold of De Jong.
He said: "Frenkie de Jong is a Barcelona player. We don’t want to sell him unless we have no other choice. Of course we know there are offers for De Jong. But we don’t want to sell him.”
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Despite this, the Catalan club have asked the midfielder to take a pay cut if they are to keep him this summer.
It remains to be seen as to what the future holds for the former Ajax star, with his former boss Erik Ten Hag looking to bring him to Old Trafford.
Thomas Tuchel is believed to have previously been a fan of the 25-year-old, with Paris Saint-Germain bidding for the Dutchman during Tuchel’s time in Ligue 1.
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Chelsea may choose to make a bid this summer, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho’s contracts expiring next summer.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona, Manchester United, Transfers, Football
Nick Emms