still need to convince Frenkie de Jong to leave after opening talks with the Catalan club, though there is a feeling that he would be more receptive to joining the Blues than .
The Red Devils have spent almost the entirety of the summer window chasing the 25-year-old, with new boss Erik ten Hag desperate to be reunited with a player who shone under his tutelage at .
Despite agreeing a fee with Barcelona worth £71million at the end of last month, United have been unable to convince the Netherlands international to move to Old Trafford while there is also an issue surrounding £14m in deferred wages he is still owed by the Spanish side.
The impasse has opened the door for other clubs to try and prise De Jong away from Camp Nou, with .
And, according to Spanish newspaper , the west London club could have rather more success than United in attempted to lure De Jong to the Premier League.
The Blues have two big advantages over United in the race to sign the midfielder, the first of which is their participation in the Champions League.
De Jong has always been reluctant to drop down to the Europa League – with United having only finished sixth last season – while he is also conscious of the massive rebuild that needs to take place.
But at Chelsea he would remain at a Champions League-level club, while the new additions Thomas Tuchel has already made – and the further signings he is still looking to add – suggest they could even improve on last season’s third-place finish.
The Blues also competed in two finals last season, losing to Liverpool on penalties both times in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, so a move to Chelsea certainly presents more immediate opportunities to win silverware.
Away from the pitch, and the second big factor in Chelsea’s favour, is that De Jong and his family are more attracted to the idea of living in London than in Manchester.
However, it still remains the case that the Dutchman wants to stay at Barcelona and prove himself, with a deal still very difficult for Chelsea to pull off despite being more appealing than United.
De Jong and his fiance are settled and happy living in Barcelona and are not particularly enthused by the prospect of swapping the sunshine and beaches of Catalonia for the rain and gloom of England.
The issue surrounding his unpaid wages is also a massive stumbling block; United proposed a larger salary offer than they otherwise would have offered as a sort of compensation, though both the Red Devils and Chelsea ideally need Barca to come to an agreement with De Jong.
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