Chelsea see problems for Frenkie de Jong at Barça and want to strike this winter

Frenkie de Jong is attracting interest from Chelsea, according to the Spanish Diario SPORT. The newspaper says the midfielder's future at FC Barcelona is uncertain, and Chelsea want to take advantage.

De Jong has been under contract at FC Barcelona since 2019. The playmaker joined from Ajax at the time for €86 million.

Since then, he has made almost 300 appearances for the club's first team and earned the captain's armband.

Last summer, he suffered a knee injury during the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Barça's doctors wanted to operate, but De Jong opted for conservative treatment.

His knee is now responding well and he returned to training on the pitch last Tuesday. Even so, it will still be a long time before the 29-year-old midfielder plays another match for the club.

SPORT also write that his place in the starting XI has become highly uncertain. The immediate impact of Rodri's arrival, the development of Marc Bernal and the excellent form of Pedri, Fermín Lopez and Dani Olmo make an immediate return to the side difficult.

Chelsea want to offer De Jong a way out. The London club see the Dutchman as the ideal successor to Enzo Fernández, who has left for Manchester City. They want to make their move once De Jong does indeed lose his starting place.