Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong would reportedly only agree to leave Camp Nou during this summer's transfer window if he were making the move to Chelsea.
Manchester United have been strongly linked with the Netherlands international over the last couple of months, but the Red Devils are currently struggling to convince the midfielder to move to Old Trafford.
De Jong said earlier this summer that Barcelona were his "dream club", and the 25-year-old is said to be determined to stay at Camp Nou despite their desire to sell him.
"I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age. I just said it too. I've never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I've achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice," the midfielder told ESPN earlier this summer.
"You are always flattered when teams show interest in you as a player," De Jong also told reporters in June. "But I think I am at the biggest club in the world at the moment and feel fine there so there is no news."
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A recent report claimed that De Jong had told Barcelona that he would be prepared to accept a pay cut in order to stay at Camp Nou this summer.
However, the Catalan outfit are believed to have told the former Ajax youngster that he needs to leave the club in the coming weeks, as Xavi's side desperately need to raise funds due to their recent transfer activity.
According to Sport, De Jong would only be prepared to leave Barcelona for Chelsea, but the Blues are not prepared to pay the transfer fee that Man United are for the Dutchman.
The report claims that De Jong is 'very grateful' to Red Devils boss Erik ten Tag for pushing for his signature, but the midfielder is not keen on a switch to Manchester.
De Jong made 46 appearances for Barcelona during the 2021-22 campaign, contributing four goals and five assists in the process, while he has represented the team on 138 occasions since arriving in 2016.
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"Frenkie de Jong is our player, we really like him," Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently told ESPN. "We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn't accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants. We need to clarify some aspects of his situation".
De Jong is with the Barcelona squad on their pre-season tour of the United States, appearing off the bench in their wins over Inter Miami and Real Madrid, in addition to the 2-2 draw with Juventus on Tuesday.
Chelsea are currently well-stocked in the middle of the park, with Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic all expected to remain at the club this summer, while Conor Gallagher is also back at Stamford Bridge following a successful loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
Man United, meanwhile, have boosted their midfield with the arrival of Christian Eriksen, but the Red Devils still want to sign a defensive midfielder before the end of the transfer window.
Despite their financial problems, Barcelona have been able to sign Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski this summer, while they are said to be closing in on a deal for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde.
Matt Law
