Frenkie de Jong would make a ‘massive difference’ to Chelsea’s midfield, he is exactly what they need.That’s according to European football expert Andy Brassell, who has insisted De Jong would be the ideal signing for the Blues amid reports linking them with a move for the Dutchman.Frenkie de Jong is yet to feature this season for Barcelona due to a long-term knee injuryuGettyXabi Alonso has found himself short of elite options in central midfield in his first few months at Stamford Bridge.While Moises Caicedo’s recent return from injury comes as a boost, Chelsea are keen to strengthen in the middle alongside him, where full-backs Reece James and Malo Gusto have both struggled for consistency.Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson were two midfield arrivals during the summer, before a deadline day move for Lamine Camara fell through as the Blues looked to replace Enzo Fernandez.De Jong’s future in questionWith no Fernandez replacement as yet, reports in Spain have since claimed Chelsea are monitoring De Jong’s situation to fill the void.The 29-year-old has been at Barcelona since 2019 after he joined from Ajax for €86million (£72m).During the last seven years, he has accumulated 297 appearances and earned the captain’s armband, but is currently out injured after suffering a knee injury during the World Cup.In De Jong’s absence, Rodri has made an immediate impact in midfield after he moved from Manchester City for £65m in the summer, while Barca also have Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Marc Bernal, Gavi and Dani Olmo as options in the position.Chelsea’s solution?With Chelsea reportedly weighing up a move for De Jong, European football journalist Brassell insists the Dutch star would provide the defensive stability they badly need, with the Blues conceding a joint-most 13 goals in the Premier League this term.He told talkSPORT: “I think he’d immeasurably improve Chelsea, he’d make a massive difference to them.“And if you look at where they are in terms of defensively and where they have been at the start of this season – yes, I know that when Xabi Alonso took over at Leverkusen they conceded a ton of goals at first, they were on a bit of a negative spiral. De Jong is currently on the road to recovery from a serious medial collateral ligament (MCL) tearGettyXabi Alonso is looking to bolster his midfield with Chelsea shipping too many goals in the season’s opening periodGetty“I think to have that kind of structure that someone like him would provide, it would help them be way better without the ball than they currently are, and that they have been for all of this season. “You pop him in front of the defence and it solves a load of problems I think.”Highlighting De Jong’s versatility in midfield as a real asset, Brassell admitted the player’s willingness to accept a move is a potential stumbling block, with a move to Manchester United previously falling through in 2024He continued: “De Jong has played centre-half, six, eight, no.10, almost as a supplementary striker. “He’s played in so many different midfield roles because he’s been at Barcelona through so many different eras, some of which have been more ambitious than others.“So I think maybe you do get to that point where, from a financial perspective, selling him makes a lot of sense. De Jong has won LaLiga three times in six years at BarcelonaGetty“It’s just whether they can get him a move that he will accept, that he will swallow. That’s really the question.”Brassell added: “He is going to be hard to shift, and that’s been proved in the past when they tried to get rid of him to Manchester United. “He’s on big wages, even post the last contract. And when he plays and is playing well for Barcelona, he’s a real key piece for them. “But what we’ve seen in the time that he has been out injured is that they can kind of do without him. That was even the case before they bought Rodri, and now they’ve bought Rodri, they’re kind of in the position where they have to at least try and sell him to balance the books.”