Chelsea: £72m star 'open' to moving to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong being open to a Stamford Bridge move is a “big positive” for the west London club, says journalist Simon Phillips.

While it is believed that the Barcelona midfielder’s preference is to remain at the Spotify Camp Nou this summer, reports suggest that he would accept a transfer to Thomas Tuchel’s side if he is forced out of his current team.

As per Sky Sports, Chelsea are ready to sign De Jong and his Barcelona team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang if the La Liga outfit allow both players to leave the club this window.

The same outlet states that rivals Manchester United have already agreed a £72m fee with Barcelona to buy the former but Chelsea are prepared to match that.

While both United and Chelsea are interested in signing De Jong this summer, The Telegraph recently reported that the 25-year-old has indicated that he would rather join Tuchel’s team.

However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that his preference is to stay where he currently is.

While it is pretty clear that De Jong does not want to leave Barcelona, it seems that he is open to a move to Chelsea if he does have to leave Xavi’s side, and Phillips thinks that is a big positive for the west London club.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I don’t think Chelsea, as a club, are going to think that every single player in the world is going to 100% always pick them over other clubs. But the fact that he is open to joining Chelsea is a big positive.”

One reason why United are struggling to convince De Jong to join them is their lack of Champions League football.

In July, The Guardian reported that De Jong wants to continue playing in Europe’s elite competition, which he obviously would not be able to do at