The 25-year old was at the center of a long transfer drama during the summer time frame, as Erik ten Hag wanted to join forces with his former Ajax superstar in Manchester United.
Barcelona are believed to have agreed to a payment for their services from Red Devils, but De Jong was not willing to engage in negotiations on personal terms for the 20-time English champions.
The Netherlands international’s desire to stay in Camp Nou ultimately won over, however his future is still unclear, despite suggestions that Barcelona might sanction the need for a major cleanout in 2023.
If Barcelona find themselves attracting requests for De Jong again, Man United are likely to rekindle their interest. Liverpool have been in the mix for a move.
The report states that Todd Boehly has been given the green signal by the De Jong camp to join the team in January, after the Dutchman not being able to make the weekly starter this season.
Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets were often the midfield trio of Xavi in the 2022-23 period, which limited De Jong to six starts in La Liga and just one in the Champions League.
In this regard De Jong’s absence of regular starts is believed to have given Chelsea hope of securing an agreement in January, but De Jong has been with the starting XI much more than once in recent times.
The 25-year-old has played since the opening whistle in every one of Barcelona’s three recent La Liga matches, playing all 90 minutes in Sunday’s 4-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao.
De Jong now has 14 goals and 18 assists in 153 matches wearing the Barcelona jersey. He also won a trophy along with La Blaugrana in the form of the Copa del Rey.
The Dutchman is contracted to Camp Nou. Camp Nou outfit until the summer of 2026. However he admitted recently the fact that Joan Laporta had pressured him to quit the club during the latest transfer window.
Chelsea have been battling uncertainty about two of their main key players, Jorginho as well as N’Golo Kante Both of them are free agents after their contracts expire in the summer of next year.
Jorginho is being considered for the possibility of a switch to Barcelona as an alternative to Busquets. However, his agent has said that they must reach an agreement with Chelsea regarding a new contract.
As of now, Graham Potter has affirmed that Kante’s contract is not an issue at the present time and Kante the Frenchman trying to recover from a hamstring injury.
