Frenkie de Jong to Chelsea update as Barcelona beaten in Jules Kounde transfer pursuit
Rumours came out from the Spanish media on Tuesday evening that the Blues were primed
to make an official offer for Frenkie de Jong.
Whilst Man United have agreed upon a big money deal with Barcelona, de Jong's unwillingness
to leave the Camp Nou has allowed other options to be explored.
The Blues are reportedly the 25-year-old's preferred destination but his number one priority
is to indeed remain put in Spain.
This has made a transfer for the Red Devils almost impossible.
And despite Chelsea's recent interest being confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, the Italian
transfer guru did clarify that it is 'unlikely' that new owner Todd Boehly were to make an
official bid for the Dutch international unless his personal stance was to change.
He told CaughtOffside: "Chelsea have been interested in Frenkie de Jong for weeks, but
they know that Man United have an agreement with Barcelona, and also that Frenkie as of
today has no plans to leave Spain.
So far, De Jong remains on the same idea – so Chelsea will not submit offers until they
know that Frenkie has different ideas."
Kounde, whilst driving his car out of the Ciudad Deportiva Jose Ramón Cisneros Palacios,
was congratulated for his impending big move away with a fan saying to him: "Good luck
wherever you go, have a great time.
He responded with a "thank you", in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Another fan then pleaded with the central defender to not stay within Spain amid the
tenuous Barcelona rumours.
The supporter was quoted saying: "Not to Barca Jules, Please not to Barca."
Chelsea are currently in Orlando ahead of their pre-season fixture against MLS side
Charlotte FC whilst Barca are in For Lauderdale where they have just opened their American
tour with a 6-0 thumping victory of David Beckham's Inter Miami.
The answer to where he could be jetting off is looking like the former of the two destinations
with Gianluca Di Marzio now clarifying that the Blues are now 'closing' in on a deal whilst
Barca consider their alternatives with Arsenal's William Saliba touted.
The Blues have had a great record of opening their Premier League campaign with a positive
result, whether that be a win or draw.
It's a record that manager Thomas Tuchel will want to keep up this season when his side
takes to the field for the first time in 2022/23.
Saturday, August 6 at 5:30pm is when Tuchel's side take to the field for the curtain raiser
to a season which promises so much.
They will have to enact revenge on their first opponents for the new season as Frank Lampard's
Toffees side looks to replicate their 1-0 success back at the end of last season at
Goodison Park.
This time around though, as it's a season opener, three points and a fast start are
the main incentive riding on this Goodison Park clash.
But who is the most likely team to pick up maximum points in this affair?
Although Chelsea's record in Merseyside is indifferent, their form at the start of seasons
is usually electric as demonstrated by recent research.
According to the OLBG, Chelsea rank second for making the best starts to Premier League
campaigns according to this research.
Their 104 points collected from opening day victories which equates to 64% is just behind
the 110 points City have accumulated on opening days over the last decades.