Chelsea have reportedly been given the thumbs up to make a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in January.
The 25-year-old was at the centre of a protracted transfer saga in the summer window, as Erik ten Hag was determined to reunite with his ex-Ajax starlet at Manchester United.
Barcelona were believed to have accepted a fee from the Red Devils, but De Jong refused to enter negotiations over personal terms with the 20-time English champions.
The Netherlands international's desire to remain at Camp Nou ultimately won over, but his long-term future remains unclear amid suggestions that Barcelona could sanction a major clearout in 2023.
Should Barcelona end up entertaining offers for De Jong again, Man United will be expected to reignite their interest, while Liverpool have also been linked with a swoop.
Chelsea were briefly tipped to hijack Man United's failed move for the midfielder, and according to The Express - via football.london - the Blues have received encouragement over a move.
The report claims that Todd Boehly has been given the green light by De Jong's camp to make a swoop in January, with the Dutchman failing to become a weekly starter this season.
Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets have often former Xavi's midfield trident in the 2022-23 campaign, restricting De Jong to six starts in La Liga and just one in the Champions League.
As such, De Jong's lack of consistent starts is believed to have given Chelsea hope of sealing a January deal, but he has been back in the first XI more often than not recently.
The 25-year-old has featured from the first whistle in each of Barcelona's last three La Liga matches, playing the full 90 in Sunday's 4-0 thumping of Athletic Bilbao.
De Jong now has 14 goals and 18 assists to show from 153 matches in a Barcelona jersey, winning one trophy with La Blaugrana in the form of the Copa del Rey.
The Dutchman remains contracted to the Camp Nou outfit until the summer of 2026, although he recently admitted that Joan Laporta had pressured him to leave the club over the most recent transfer window.
Chelsea are facing continued uncertainty over two of their regular lynchpins in Jorginho and N'Golo Kante, both of whom could leave as free agents when their contracts expire next summer.
Jorginho has been linked with a move to Barcelona as a possible replacement for Busquets, but his agent has insisted that their priority is to come to an agreement with Chelsea over a new deal.
Meanwhile, Graham Potter has affirmed that Kante's contract situation is not a priority at this moment in time, with the Frenchman working his way back from hamstring surgery. body check tags ::
