Chelsea face €80m failure after president confirms transfer plan

Football Club Barcelona have been Chelsea's biggest nemesis this transfer window. The Blues lost Raphinha and Jules Kounde to the Catalan club and are facing yet another disappointment in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.

The Premier League club was leading the race for both Raphinha and Kounde before FC Barcelona swooped in to hijack the deals. Chelsea got one back on their La Liga rivals after convincing Cesar Azpilicueta to snub a move to the Camp Nou and remain at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were hoping to sign De Jong, who was made available for transfer this summer. The West London club had moved ahead of Manchester United in the race for the Netherlands international, but FC Barcelona had a sudden change of heart.

The Catalan outfit's president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club's desire to retain De Jong's services despite reaching an agreement with United earlier in the summer. Moreover, the Dutch midfielder, who has a contract until 2026, is in no rush to leave Barcelona, whom he joined from Ajax in 2020.

"Frenkie de Jong is a Barcelona player of great quality and we want him to stay. With him and his teammates, we have a very powerful midfield," Laporta said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

"He has offers, but we want him to stay and he wants to stay too."

Thomas Tuchel wants to sign a dynamic deep-lying midfield playmaker and had identified De Jong as the perfect candidate. FC Barcelona were trying to get the Dutch midfielder's wages off the books, and were even willing to bring their valuation down to €80 million from the initial €85 million they had agreed with United.

However, the club changed their stance with regards to De Jong's future, with head coach Xavi Hernandez also open to retaining the midfielder. However, it is no secret that FC Barcelona will need De Jong to take a pay cut if they are to have any hope of registering their new summer signings like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

"I don't know what will happen with Frenkie de Jong. Until August 31 anything can happen," Xavi said after Barcelona's 6-0 win over Pumas UNAM in the Joan Gamper Trophy game on Sunday. "He knows what I think and what the club want and need. Of course I'm counting on him, he's a great player."