Chelsea 'ready' to complete Barcelona double whammy despite Tuchel's transfer priority

Chelsea are 'ready to sign' Barcelona pair Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to reports.

Manchester United have been trying to bring De Jong to Old Trafford all summer, but the player doesn't like to move.

The Red Devils had an offer worth around £72m accepted from Barcelona after Erik ten Hag identified the midfielder as his top priority in the summer transfer window.

De Jong owes between £14m and £17m in deferred wages and is said to be unwilling to leave the club while he remains in debt.

A move to United is not unlikely just because of the Dutch playmaker's financial situation, but also because of the club's lack of Premier League football in the Champions League and recent success at domestic level .

Chelsea can offer De Jong Champions League football, as well as the prospect of participating in all the competitions they enter.

The Blues reached two cup finals last season and finished third in the Premier League, a year after being crowned European champions.

A difficult transfer window for United could turn miserable if Chelsea beat them to the signing of De Jong.

It's a growing possibility and there's optimism that the longest and tedious summer transfer saga will end this week.

If De Jong and Barcelona reach some sort of settlement and he then decides he's ready to join Chelsea, there's not much that will stop this transfer from happening.

According to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Chelsea are "ready to match" the £72million offer put on the table by Manchester United.

As mentioned earlier, the Blues can offer De Jong Champions League football, while United cannot.

Chelsea are 'ready to sign' the 25-year-old, as well as Barca striker Aubameyang, who joined the La Liga club from Arsenal on a free transfer in the winter window.

It all comes down to whether or not the Blaugrana will sanction both of their departures, with various reports suggesting that Aubameyang and Memphis Depay will not leave this summer.

Depay is linked with a move to Juventus and Barca are reportedly keen to retain at least one of the two players.

The Skyreport states that De Jong "will not agree to leave" the club until he receives his deferred salary.

However, Barca hope he will take a 'significant pay cut' and accept a '£6m settlement' for his deferred pay.

Aubameyang could be a good option for Chelsea after letting Timo Werner sign for RB Leipzig and Romelu Lukaku join Inter Milan on loan.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel worked with the Gabon striker at Borussia Dortmund. The player has scored 79 times under the German's leadership.

Tuchel is prioritizing the signing of a new central defender, however.

The club have been linked with Leicester City's Wesley Fofana in recent weeks and are confident they can agree a deal.

Leicester could struggle to turn down an offer of around £80m, having rejected two previous offers from the Blues estimated at around £63m and £70m.