Barcelona president not ready to do business with Chelsea on £85m transfer target
Frenkie de Jong is not going anywhere says Barcelona president Joan Laporta, only months after the midfielder was linked with a summer switch to Chelsea.
The Blues were reserved during the January transfer window, adding no new players to Mauricio Pochettino’s ranks. Now the task ahead of next season will be to work out how to improve the squad beyond the £1 billion already spent on players since Todd Boehly took ownership of the club.
Last month Spanish media suggested one idea, and that was Barca midfielder De Jong. They touted Stamford Bridge as a potential destination along with Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, in a deal that would cost any potential buyer £85m.
At the time manager Xavi Hernandez refused to be drawn into such discussion, but now with the dust seemingly settled, Barca president Laporta has clarified to the publication that initially reported the rumour, Mundo Deportivo, that his player will not be on the move.
“The last thing he would want would be to leave Barcelona. He has told me more than once, that he is delighted here,” the 61-year-old stated bluntly.
“We have margin. We are delighted with him. I’m not worried about anyone and if someone wants to leave, we can’t go against a player’s will. But I think everyone wants to stay and we want everyone we have to stay.
“We don’t want any of them to leave, because no team in history has been a flash in the pan. The teams that have won have had a period of consolidation and maturation. This team is having it with very young people and will pass us by with the previous stage. We have players who will last many years, all of these we are talking about. We have to prioritize making the entire team powerful.”
The Spanish club find themselves in a position where they seemingly must take action and sell players in order to meet the £174.8m salary cap placed on them by La Liga, though they remain adamant of doing so without relinquishing their most talented players.
Meanwhile Chelsea would have their own Financial Fair Play boundaries to be aware of if making any future signings given their previous spending.
