Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong would still prefer a move to Manchester United, despite Chelsea getting involved in the race for the player’s signature, according to the Daily Mail.

Blues owner Todd Boehly travelled to Spain earlier this week to hold talks with Barca, where a deal for de Jong was discussed among other things. However, it is believed that the presence of de Jong’s former manager, Erik ten Hag, at Old Trafford means United would have an important edge over their Premier League rivals:

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly jets into Barcelona for transfer talks over huge player swap deal https://t.co/zUEI6dL1Eo

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) July 8, 2022

Negotiations over de Jong’s transfer have been painfully slow. An agreement on a transfer fee has been reached, but there has been a number of complications that have slowed progress.

There was initially some debate over how the add-ons in the €85m (£72m) deal would be paid, while there are also thought to be difficulties over personal terms, with de Jong seeking guarantees from Barcelona over deferred payments before agreeing to leave.