Barcelona have opened the door for Chelsea to sign one player who’s been admired by the Blues for a long time, with Hansi Flick’s side informing the man in question that he’s free to leave the Camp Nou this summer.
Related
£50m Chelsea player in “advanced” talks to leave, could be done imminently
It would be a boost for BlueCo.
After their £30 million deal for striker Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, Chelsea remain in the market for more fresh faces.
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Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season |
Average match rating |
|---|---|
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Cole Palmer |
7.33 |
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Moises Caicedo |
7.02 |
|
Enzo Fernández |
6.95 |
|
Nicolas Jackson |
6.88 |
|
Noni Madueke |
6.82 |
|
via WhoScored |
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Enzo Maresca’s side are believed to be closing in on a move for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens as their next potential high-profile signing, despite already seeing three public bids rejected for him prior to the pre-Club World Cup transfer deadline on June 10.
If completed, the Englishman would come in to replace the likes of Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk outwide, with the former returning to Man United and the latter facing a four-year ban after violating anti-doping rules.
Chelsea also want to sign a new goalkeeper, alongside strengthening other more advanced areas of the squad.
Chelsea given green-light to move for Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen
AC Milan’s Mike Maignan could re-emerge as a target later in the window after Chelsea failed to find an agreement with the Rossoneri, but they have another illustrious option – Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The “incredible” Germany international and Catalans captain failed to play his usual key role on a regular basis last term, mainly due to injury, and Barça are keen to reduce their wage bill, as they are “operating above their La Liga-imposed salary limit” (The Athletic).
They’ve already signed Joan Garcia from Espanyol as a potential heir to Ter Stegen, with the La Liga champions now telling the 33-year-old to find a new club.
That is according to journalist Simon Phillips, who also says that Ter Stegen could be signed for a very reasonable fee, despite having three years left on his contract. Chelsea have held a long-standing interest in Ter Stegen, which dates back prior to their takeover in 2022, and BlueCo actually tried to sign him right after they completed their buyout of the club.
“Chelsea have held an interest in him for some time both under the last ownership and under the current owners as well. When the new owners first bought the club, they tried to get Ter Stegen in then,” said Phillips, via his Substack.
“Well, the interest remains, as first called by my colleagues at Caught Offside this week, and he is another name on our goalkeeper shortlist for a potential move this summer.
“The 33-year-old has a market value now of just £10m and Chelsea, or any other interested club, should be able to pick him up at a reasonable price.
“It remains to be seen just how serious Chelsea’s interest is and whether his salary demands will be what Chelsea can manage – its likely that he will need to take a drop in earnings for anything to happen. But the German international has been told by Barcelona to find a new club this summer and his agent is getting to work.”
Earlier this week, journalist Rudy Galetti reported that Chelsea have already made an approach to sign ter Stegen, so perhaps the illustrious shot-stopper is being seriously considered as an alternative to Maignan after all.
