Chelsea look to’finalise’ deal for Fernandez replacement at Barcelona amid ‘official bid’ claim | OneFootball

Chelsea are looking to replace Real Madrid-bound Enzo Fernandez with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer, according to reports.

The Blues ended a turbulent season in tenth position in the Premier League, meaning they missed out on qualification for the Champions League or any other European competition.

Chelsea have already lost Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid this summer as some of their players look for moves away, while Fernandez could now follow.

It has been widely reported for months that Real Madrid are looking to sign the Argentina international and now Italian reporter Nicolo Schira has revealed that the La Liga giants are ‘ready to submit’ their ‘first official bid’ to Chelsea.

Reporting an agreement over personal terms last weeek, Schira wrote on X: ‘Excl. – Agreement in principle between #RealMadrid and #EnzoFernandez for a contract until 2032. Real Madrid are now ready to submit a huge bid to #Chelssa to try to sign the midfielder, who wants to leave #CFC and pushing to join Madrid. #transfers.’

And now Schira has revealed his latest information, he added on Friday morning: ‘Excl. – #RealMadrid are ready to submit to #Chelsea a first official bid to try to sign #EnzoFernandez, who has already an agreement in principle with Real Madrid for a contract until 2032. #transfers #CFC.’

Deco travelling to London to see how much Chelsea will pay for De Jong

Reports in Spain have now claimed that Chelsea already know they want to replace Fernandez with Barcelona midfielder De Jong, who is currently playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Barcelona sporting director Deco is ‘prepared to travel to London to finalise the sale’ of De Jong with the former Portugal international hoping to find out how much Chelsea are willing to pay.

The report adds: ‘The deal is still in its early stages, but Barcelona’s sporting directors want to know Chelsea’s position. Enzo is one of José Mourinho ‘s top targets, and his departure would force the London club to find a midfielder capable of building attacks from the back. Frenkie fits the bill with his experience, technical ability, and knowledge of top-level football.

‘Chelsea doesn’t consider selling the Argentine easy and would demand a fee exceeding €100 million. However, if Real Madrid meets those conditions, the English club will have enough money to find a proven replacement. De Jong can orchestrate possession, break lines with his dribbling, and link up with Moisés Caicedo, a more physical player who would balance his movement.’

Manchester United have been heavily linked with De Jong for years, especially while compatriot Erik ten Hag was at Old Trafford, and former Red Devils and Netherlands defender Jaap Stam would love to see the midfielder playing for United.

Stam told ComeOn: “Frenkie de Jong would be the ideal player for Man Utd, I think, to help them out because he’s so good on the ball.

“We can discuss his physique in the Premier League, maybe, because if you go into one-vs-ones or the tackling part of it and the physical part, then of course he’s not the biggest, but he’s a very good player.

“And I think looking at Michael Carrick, how he wants to play, he also wants players who can control the game with the ball at their feet and be very dominant. Then you don’t need to defend very much.

“But Frenkie, yeah, he’s a world-class player. He’s one of the best midfield players there is, and he’s very comfortable on the ball, especially playing out from the back and dictating that and helping the team out to go forward and get into the final third to score goals.

“So, if the opportunity was there for United, I would help them out. I’ll go on my bike to Barcelona and bring him to United, no problem.”