Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is once again being linked with a move to the Premier League and Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all interested.
TEAMtalk reported on Wednesday that Chelsea were preparing to submit an offer for the Catalan star in the summer to beat the competition to his signature.
Man Utd memorably made a concerted effort to bring in De Jong in the summer of 2022 – when Erik ten Hag was desperate to sign him – but were ultimately unable to seal a deal.
Chelsea and Man Utd remain interested, but reports suggest that Tottenham have made the first concrete move for the talented Dutch midfielder.
According to reports from Spain, as cited by Sports Mole, Spurs have ‘come forward with an offer of €60m (£51.2m) including add-ons for De Jong’s signature.’
Barcelona’s financial issues are well known, so even though they would prefer to keep hold of De Jong, they may be forced into accepting an offer for him in the summer.
It is also thought that the 26-year-old is more open to the idea of joining a Premier League club than he was two years ago.
Tottenham offer Frenkie de Jong four-year deal
The report notes that Tottenham have offered De Jong a four-year contract until 2028 and will pocket the same wage he currently earns at Barcelona, so long as he hits certain performance-related objectives.
It’s no secret that Ange Postecoglou wants to add another quality midfielder to his squad. The manager made Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher his top target in January but the England star wanted to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham’s need will only increase if Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaves in the summer – which is looking increasingly likely.
De Jong would certainly be a more than adequate alternative to Gallagher, so it’s no surprise to see the North Londoners chasing him.
The Netherlands international joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019. He has made 206 appearances for the Catalans so far, scoring 16 goals and making 21 assists.
De Jong has helped Barca to lift three major trophies including one LaLiga title in his time at the Camp Nou.
With that in mind, he could be the perfect signing to help take Tottenham to the next level.
It will be interesting to see if Man Utd and Chelsea respond to Spurs’ reported offer with bids of their own in the coming months.
