The real reason Manchester United and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong has flown to London

Long-time Manchester United and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong sent the transfer rumour mill into overdrive on Monday after boarding a flight from Barcelona to London.

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The 25-year-old has been pursued throughout the summer, with United first agreeing a £73million deal at the end of last month.

But De Jong has always been adamant that he wants to stay at Camp Nou while any move is complicated by the fact he is still owed around £14m in deferred wages.

With talks between United and Barca hitting an impasse, Chelsea made their own play to sign De Jong though encountered similar difficulties and resistance from the player.

With just a few days left of the window, it seemed virtually certain that De Jong would remain in Catalonia this season – at least until he was spotted at Barcelona airport on Monday.

The Netherlands international and his fiancé, Mikky Kiemeney, were spotted by Spanish television show El Chiringuito TV as they arrived at the airport to catch a private jet bound for London.

With Chelsea based out of the capital and United also having offices in Mayfair, that prompted a flurry of speculation that De Jong might be heading to the Premier League after all.

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But it quickly became apparent that De Jong’s trip was for pleasure – not business – with the midfielder soon accompanied on his flight by Barcelona team-mate and good pal Memphis Depay.

The ex-Manchester United winger arrived at the airport shortly after his compatriot and, like De Jong, declined to speak to the media but did sign a few autographs for Barca