It’s going to be a very interesting summer in terms of transfers for both Chelsea and Barcelona, and for different reasons.
The Catalans are on the way back up again, and unless there is a monumental collapse between now and the end of the season, Barca will be La Liga champions again.
That gives them some kudos that they’ve been lacking over the last two or three years and, potentially, makes them a very attractive proposition again for potential signings.
Chelsea meanwhile, despite owner Todd Boehly having spent €611m/£541m on players in the past couple of transfer windows, per transfermarkt, are seemingly heading in the opposite direction.
There’s no chance of European football next season, the owner doesn’t really seem to know which potential new manager he wants in place, the one he parachuted in to replace Graham Potter – Frank Lampard – has done nothing of note, and it’s just a mess at Stamford Bridge.
With such a bloated squad in terms of the amount of players, it wouldn’t therefore be a surprise to see a clear out of sorts, and it appears that Barca want to be in a position to take advantage.
According to The Mirror, the Catalans want both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and N’Golo Kante.
The former has played for the Camp Nou outfit before of course, signing for Chelsea from Barcelona but not really making an impression at Stamford Bridge.
Kante would be an interesting proposition, and one can only assume such a link has surfaced because Sergio Busquets still hasn’t made a decision on whether to extend his contract with Barcelona or not.