Chelsea and Manchester United are rumoured to have received a boost in their chase of Barcelona midfielder.
The Netherlands international looked like an exceptional talent during his time at previous club Ajax, but it hasn’t exactly worked out for him at Barcelona, sparking a lot of transfer rumours recently.
According to the most recent news from Spanish site Todo Fichajes, De Jong has been authorised to depart, with the player’s agent directed to find a new club for his client, who is worth roughly €70 million.
This might mean that we see De Jong in the Premier League in the near future, as the 24-year-old has been linked with both Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to El Nacional, Chelsea are willing to spend approximately €40 million for De Jong, which will most likely not be enough, while United may be willing to pay more like €55 million, which will also not be enough.
De Jong may fit in at any of these teams, but it remains to be seen if it is worth paying such a high price for a player who hasn’t been at his best for some time.
Even if the Dutchman is made available, both CFC and MUFC may legitimately believe there are better choices available.
Chelsea already has N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic in central midfield, so it’s not clear that they need to rush out and reinforce there.
Meanwhile, United could do with some changes in that department following inconsistencies from players such as Nemanja Matic and Fred, while Donny van de Beek has battled for playing time at Old Trafford.