Barcelona duo De Jong, Depay travel to London amid Chelsea and Man Utd speculation

Barcelona pair Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are reportedly travelling to London amid speculation they could move to Chelsea and Man Utd respectively.

There has been speculation all summer that both players could leave the Camp Nou with Barcelona bringing in Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde so far.

The Catalan giants could still add to their squad before the end of the window but it is ougoings they are currently concentrating on.

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De Jong to Man Utd has been one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer but that is now completely off the table, according to recent reports.

The Red Devils had apparently agreed a fee with Barcelona for the Netherlands international but that has now expired after numerous weeks of waiting for De Jong and the La Liga side to sort out their issues.

Barcelona owe De Jong a reported £17m in deferred wages and bonuses from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, making any move away from the Camp Nou tricky.

Chelsea are still understood to be in the race to sign De Jong this summer, while Liverpool were also linked recently and now ESPN journalist Samuel Marsden claims that the Barcelona players ‘have a couple of days off and Frenkie de Jong is going to London’.

Depay – who has also been linked with Chelsea and Man Utd – is ‘also heading to London with him’ but Marsden insists that the visit is ‘not transfer related’.

He adds that the ‘most likely scenario’ for De Jong this summer is that he ‘stays at Barca’ but that a ‘salary adjustment [is] still not an option’ before the transfer deadline.

And former Premier League football Noel Whelan reckons it would be a “no-brainer” for De Jong to swap Barcelona for Chelsea.

“Chelsea are in a much better place after the takeover,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“You look at Chelsea and Man United – there are a lot more plus points on the Chelsea side. There’s Champions League football, they’ve brought in better players so far this summer.

“It’s a no-brainer for De Jong. Look at the start of this season – why would you choose Man United? It’s a new manager, but it’s the same old story for them.

“Players like De Jong, with their stature and ability, deserve to be playing in the Champions League.”