Chelsea ‘could rival Manchester United for Frenkie de Jong as the Blues monitor developments’

Manchester United could face competition for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong as Chelsea monitor the situation, according to reports. 

The Dutchman has been Erik ten Hag’s No1 target ever since he arrived at Old Trafford and Sportsmail sources have indicated a deal between United and Barcelona for the Netherlands star is ’90 per cent’ complete, with just the finer details left to conclude. 

It is understood United will pay around an initial £55million to the Spanish club for De Jong. That fee could rise close to £70m. 

However, Chelsea could be plotting a swoop for the midfielder. The Blues are monitoring the progress of United’s move for De Jong, according to The Guardian. 

The report claims the west Londoners are yet to make any advances themselves but could pounce if the Red Devils’ move falls through. 

The Blues watched De Jong closely before he left Ajax for in 2019 and manager Thomas Tuchel is said to be a fan.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is said to be a fan of the Dutchman and the club are monitoring him

However, De Jong appears to be edging closer to a move to Old Trafford with personal terms just left to be agreed. 

De Jong’s close relationship with Ten Hag has been one of the key factors in his decision and agreeing personal terms is unlikely to be a problem. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea are believed to be targeting other areas, including defensive reinforcements in the wake of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s Stamford Bridge exits. 

The likes of and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde reportedly remain of interest at the back. 

De Jong’s relationship with Erik Ten Hag (right) has been one of the key factors in his decision 

Talks between Manchester City and Chelsea over a deal for Raheem Sterling have accelerated

While, Raheem Sterling and Leeds United’s Brazilian star Raphinha are believed to be targets up front.

The Blues’ midfielder is less of a priority as Tuchel had Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Saul Niguez at his disposal. 

But the west London side could look to bring in reinforcements with Saul having returned to Atletico Madrid and Jorginho and Kante out of contract next summer.

However, Conor Gallagher returns to Stamford Bridge off the back of an impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace as another addition to the German boss’s squad.