“Individual talk”- Xavi cools down talks of 24-year-old Chelsea target leaving Barcelona

Barcelona manager Xavi cools down exit rumours surrounding Chelsea target Frenkie De Jong

According to Football.London, Barcelona manager Xavi has emphasized the role of Chelsea target Frenkie De Jong in his team. 

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho’s future remains up in the air with Juventus interested in him. And that could be why the Blues are focusing on bringing midfield reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni are being considered ‘primary targets’. However, the West London outfit is also focusing on luring away Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona, who has had ups and downs at Camp Nou ever since his move from Ajax.

But, the last target seems more challenging to land after the recent comments made by the Blaugrana manager. Xavi indicated the importance of the 24-year-old Dutch star in his team and revealed that he had calmed the midfielder down after a one-to-one conversation.            

“Frenkie de Jong is a very important player for me; he’s part of present and future. We had an individual talk, and he became calmer – I want him to be constant.”

How can Frenkie De Jong help Chelsea?

Even though de Jong has had some inconsistent performances in recent months, he remains one of the most crucial stars for Barcelona. Being a regular performer, he has made 43 appearances across all competitions in this campaign, bagging four goals and five assists in the process. 

de Jong is a creative midfielder who is not shabby in defence as well. Rice, on the other hand, is more of a destroyer at West Ham United. Aurelien Tchouameni is also a strong central midfielder who can carry his own on and off the ball, and fans would be ecstatic if we manage to land even one of these names this summer.

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However, Xavi’s recent comments suggest that the Blaugrana outfit might not have plans to give away their crucial midfielder that easily. It is still anyone’s guess as to what the intentions of the midfielder are at this point. 

The Blues would be wise to keep pursuing the Netherlands international if their interest in him is real. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante aren’t getting any younger while Saul Niguez’s loan deal comes to an end this summer.