Manchester United are fighting Chelsea for Frenkie de Jong’s signature, according to reports on Monday, as both clubs look to pick the Dutch midfielder from Barcelona. United are ready to offer De Jong an enormous £450,000 per week salary and pay off the £17m he is owed by Barcelona in deferred wages during the pandemic, according to Sport in Spain. However, Chelsea are also now in the running and are ready to make an offer if De Jong decides to leave the Nou Camp, Sport writes, with Barca then ready to buy Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva as a replacement.

The Blues suffered a blow as Barcelona confirmed they had agreed a deal to sign a major target for Thomas Tuchel’s side, Jules Kounde, with latest rumours suggesting they will look to land either Josko Gvardiol, Presnel Kimpembe or Wesley Fofana. Arsenal, meanwhile, are trying to both offload players and potentially bring in a midfield addition, with Youri Tielemans reportedly the subject of their attentions. Nuno Tavares and William Saliba are both wanted by Marseille, while the futures of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Hector Bellerin are yet to be clarified, too.

And Lionel Messi is ready to make a sensational return to Barcelona, according to Catalunya Radio, which reports he is keen to depart Paris Saint-Germain after an underwhelming first season in the French capital.

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