Chelsea have been handed a setback in their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong whose exit from the club has been ruled out.
The Holland international maestro was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer window with the Blues emerging as late contenders for his signature which had been of much value to Manchester United.
De Jong, however, chose to rebuff interest from the Premier League to stay put at Camp Nou and it appears that the former Ajax man will be turning out in the Barca shirt in the near future going by the club director Jordi Cruyff’s recent remarks to Sport ( via The Mirror).
“Today this is not being talked about. In football there are moments and sometimes they are not defined solely by football issues. The fair play situation.
“Not everyone understands what it is, there are changes every week, but there are situations and decisions that are not just football things. But time has passed and he has an important role.
“The reality is that Frenkie has stayed, he is a loved player, people expect a lot from him because he is very talented and a slightly different player.
“There was the possibility because good players are always wanted by good teams, it works like that. The reality is that he is here and he is playing an important role.”
With a move for De Jong unlikely, Chelsea will be urged to look elsewhere for reinforcements to bolster an under-fire midfield roster which could lose out on two key names in N’Golo Kante and Jorginho come next summer.
Both midfielders are out of contract the Bridge at the end of the season and it remains unclear whether the Chelsea boss Graham potter would be readying new deals for either of the two 30-plus players.
