Chelsea have reportedly gained ground in efforts to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong this summer with Manchester United identifying an alternative to the Dutch midfielder.
De Jong has been the long-standing name on the shopping list at Old Trafford with the new United head coach Eric ten Hag keen to reinforce his midfield roster by bringing in the highly-rated Barcelona talent.
The player, however, has appeared far from convinced about signing for the Red Devils who do not have Champions League football to look forward to this coming season and could be forced to look elsewhere for a new midfield recruit.
According to a report from The Athletic, it is claimed that the United camp are now keeping tabs on Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot with the France international zeroed in as a viable choice to add to the midfield options.
United’s potential withdrawal from the race to land De Jong’s signature could be the shot in the arm which is of importance to Chelsea with Thomas Tuchel’s Blues emerging as strong contenders to sign the Holland international.
