Chelsea won't make a move for Barcelona maestro Frenkie de Jong this summer unless the Catalan-based club lower their demands.
Manchester United were in pole position to sign the Dutchman, but reports have since suggested that he isn't overly keen on a move to Old Trafford. That appeared to open the door for Chelsea to enter the race to sign him, but their boss has suggested that a formal approach won't be made.
Barca are desperate to get De Jong off their books which could help Chelsea in lowering the fee.
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The La Liga outfit owe the midfielder around £14million in wages, and as per reporter Alfredo Martínez, he could hand the Spanish giants a huge problem in registering the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde if he refuses to leave or take a wage cut given the financial restrictions imposed by La Liga.
Chelsea have already signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly this window, but Tuchel also wants to add a midfielder to his squad. De Jong appeared to be one of his top targets to fill that role, having previously attempted to sign him while in charge at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues are yet to submit a formal bid for the 25-year-old, with Barca demanding around £67million for his signature. However, according to Sport, via the Mirror, those high demands could end up scuppering a deal.
As it's a transfer saga that could go on all summer, we'll have to wait and see what happens.
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