William Gallas tells Chelsea to forget Frenkie de Jong signing and names two alternative options

Former Chelsea defender William Gallas has urged the Blues to end their interest in signing Frenkie de Jong and instead sign a midfielder in the mould of Casemiro or Rodri.

Manchester United have been chasing a deal for de Jong throughout the summer but Erik ten Hag now seems set to miss out on his top transfer target.

While the Dutchman’s preference is thought to be to stay at Barcelona, Chelsea are now leading the race to sign him should he be forced out of the Camp Nou this summer with a deal worth £67.7million thought to be close.

A move to Stamford Bridge would see de Jong compete for a starting role alongside Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Conor Gallagher.

However, former Blues defender Gallas believes his former side should be targeting a more defensively minded midfield option, naming Real Madrid and Manchester City stars Casemiro and Rodri as ideal options.

‘De Jong is a great player. He is still young but he is so experienced in the way he plays,’ Gallas told Genting Casino.

‘I don’t think Chelsea should have gone for someone of that profile though. They already have players like him.

‘They should go for someone like Casemiro or Rodri instead. They are strong guys who stay in front of their defenders. They have good impacts physically as well. That is why I would not sign De Jong, because they already have players who are a little bit similar.’

Chelsea are looking to strengthen in a number of areas before the transfer window closes with a centre forward also being sought following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, who have joined Inter Milan and RB Leipzig respectively.

Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among the strikers being considered by Chelsea with Gallas believing the