Frenkie de Jong could yet move to Chelsea rather than Manchester United, despite the latter having agreed terms.
United's on-again-off-again move for the Dutchman has continued to take a number of turns. An agreement has been reached, with the 25-year-old expected to fetch close to the €75m (£64m) forked out by Barca back in 2019, but that doesn't mean the saga is over by any stretch.
Most recently, the former Ajax star was named in Barcelona's squad for their pre-season tour of the United States despite United edging closer to a deal. However, noises from the player's agent suggest Chelsea aren't out of the running just yet.
According to ESPN, De Jong's representatives are still trying to convince Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain to challenge United for the midfielder. The same report recognises De Jong's preference is to stay at Camp Nou, while he would like to play Champions League football next season, though the club are thought to have a "broad agreement" with United over the terms of a proposed deal.
United can not offer that, having finished sixth last term. However, a move to Old Trafford would see De Jong reunited with manager Erik ten Hag after the pair reached the Champions League semi-finals with Ajax in 2019.
Barca's US tour begins with a game against Inter Miami on Tuesday. Games against European rivals Real Madrid and Juventus will follow, before the tour concludes in Harrison, NJ against the New York Red Bulls.
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The Chelsea links come despite the Blues making two big additions to their squad already this summer. Raheem Sterling has joined in a big-money move from Manchester City, while Kalidou Koulibaliy has arrived from Napoli to strengthen a defence shorn of Antonio Rudiger and new Barcelona signing Andreas Christensen.
Thomas Tuchel's side have also picked up Arsenal starlet Omari Hutchinson, while United themselves have begun to get deals over the line while continuing their efforts to secure De Jong. Christian Eriksen became the Red Devils' second signing of the summer, after Tyrell Malacia, with Lisandro Martinez set to follow close behind.
At the same time, Chelsea continue to be linked with United forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The veteran finished as the club's top scorer last season but has been pushing for a move away.
"He's a fantastic player for another fantastic club in the Premier League but out of respect we don't comment on these players because we don't like other coaches to speak about our players," Tuchel said of the links. "This is where it has to stay. We focused on our top target Raheem Sterling who we could sign and everything else stays behind closed doors."
