Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League after three games without success as they comfortably saw off Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge on matchday six last weekend to move up to sixth in the standings.
While it will be interesting to see whether the Blues can challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the title in the next few months, Xabi Alonso’s main objective is to guide them back to the Champions League next season with a top five finish.
Enzo Fernandez’s exit for Man City in the summer made the Spaniard’s task a bit harder but it is believed that Chelsea are now prepared to invest money on signing his replacement in January, ahead of the most crucial stretch of the campaign.
According to Football Insider, the Londoners are willing to offer Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong a lucrative contract to lure him to Stamford Bridge as reports in Spain claim the Dutchman may be allowed to leave Camp Nou for roughly £51 million.
De Jong transfer a strong possibility this summer
In recent weeks, Chelsea’s depth and quality in midfield was put to the test, especially during Moises Caicedo’s injury layoff, and at that time, they lacked control in the engine room and were outdone on the transitions by the opposition fairly comfortably.
Frenkie de Jong’s addition will bring in a player who can dictate the flow of the game with his exchange of passes, good close control as well as the ability to collect the ball from the deeper-lying areas of the pitch and then progressing it forward.
Xabi Alonso’s side will be significantly bolstered by some harmony in the middle of the park that the Barcelona midfielder can provide, whereas his defensive strengths make him an ideal replacement for Enzo Fernandez in a double pivot with Caicedo.
De Jong is expected to remain a secondary option at Barca after Rodri’s arrival this summer as Pedri has been preferred by Hansi Flick alongside the former Manchester City star at Camp Nou, with Fermin Lopez playing as the number 10 more often than not.
The availability of Marc Bernal and Gavi means Barca no longer see De Jong as an indispensable player and could sanction his sale to fund a striker’s signing. From the 29-year-old’s perspective, it would be a chance to play in the Premier League while potentially earning a higher salary at Chelsea in what could be his final long-term contract, at least in Europe.
All things point towards De Jong’s possible transfer to Barcelona working perfectly for all parties, so it will be interesting to see if there is any movement in the lead-up to the January window.
