After joining Manchester United in the summer of 2022, Erik ten Hag declared the Dutch international a key target, and the team chased a deal for him tenaciously.

Despite Barcelona’s willingness to transfer De Jong, the player obstinately refused to leave the team.

Despite playing a crucial part in Barcelona’s first La Liga victory since 2019 in the previous season, the 26-year-old is reportedly considering leaving the team at the end of the current league season.

The Dutchman is reportedly under suspicion by Barcelona’s senior management, who may decide to transfer him to improve the team’s financial position.

De Jong is one of Barcelona’s top-paid players, and his current contract is set to expire in two years.

According to Sport, his representatives are aware that Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and United would all be ready to sign him, but there hasn’t been any movement on renewing his contract thus far.

United is still willing to make the move, even though they first expressed strong interest in signing de Jong eighteen months ago.

The source claims that even Chelsea would be willing to pay a substantial amount—€85 million—to complete the transaction.

In the last year, Chelsea has already spent £280 million to bolster their midfield.

They paid £107 million in January of this year to get Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. 

They broke the club record in the summer when they paid £114 million to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.

Furthermore, the Blues spent £58 million to sign midfielder Romeo Lambia from South Africa. Unfortunately, Lambia has struggled with injury and has only played 32 minutes this season.

Despite Barcelona sporting director Deco’s efforts to start contract extension negotiations, the midfielder’s massive current salary has rendered it “impossible to reach an agreement or even negotiate.”