The last summer transfer window has been a story of two tales for Chelsea. While the Blues saw formidable young talents like Morgan Rogers and Valentin Barco join the club, the club lost an instrumental midfielder, Enzo Fernández. In his time at Stamford Bridge, Fernández was the one name that held the entire pitch by himself on the field, both defensively and offensively.
Although the club still has players like Moises Caicedo, Fernández’s move to Manchester City has left a major void within the club. Chelsea did try to land AS Monaco’s 22-year-old midfielder Lamine Camara as Fernandez’s replacement. However, that move didn’t work out as it fell flat in the closing hours of the transfer window.
Now, Chelsea’s search for Fernandez’s replacement has taken them to FC Barcelona. According to a report from Football Insider, the Blues are interested in signing Frenkie De Jong in the winter transfer window. Sources also remark that the Premier League club is even ready to spend the bucks on the Dutch signing and bring him to the London club.
An experienced campaigner for Barca and the Dutch national team, De Jong might be a perfect candidate to replace Fernandez. In some respects, the Dutchman could even be a humble upgrade to the Argentinian for Chelsea. In his years at Ajax and in Spain, De Jong has time and again reminded us of his elite skill set to string the midfield together, and he will fit perfectly in Xabi Alonso’s system.
Frenkie De Jong might not be a major goalscorer or even an assister on the pitch, but his ability to keep possession of the ball and to progress in fast breaks might be one of the best in the business. Currently, the Dutch midfielder is out of the Barca squad due to an injury that he sustained last season, but is expected to return soon in the upcoming games for the Spanish club, as per Barca Blaugranes.
But with Pedri and Rodri doing most of the heavy lifting in the midfield, it needs to be seen how De Jong fits into the club even after his return. However, reports suggest that Barca head coach Hansi Flick still sees De Jong as a crucial member of his project. Furthermore, the Dutch midfielder’s love for the Catalan club is off the charts as well.
As a result, Chelsea will definitely have to break the bank and make an offer that can tempt Barca, at least if they want to see De Jong in a deep blue shirt after the winter transfer window. Besides De Jong, Chelsea is also in the front line to sign Alex Scott in January, adding another player to their midfielder watchlist.
Now, it’s just a few months left to see whether the new Chelsea head coach and front office can pull off these two moves in the same winter transfer window, giving the squad even more depth and tenacity.
