Chelsea prepared to offer €30 million in attempt to convince Barcelona defender to complete Stamford Bridge switch: Reports
According to El Nacional, Chelsea are prepared to offer €30 million to Barcelona to convince Alejandro Balde to join the club.
Balde has been one of the breakout stars for the Catalan club so far this season. He has played 11 games under Xavi Hernandez so far this season, providing three assists.
Jordi Alba's poor form and newly-signed Marcos Alonso's unconvincing performances have opened the door for the 19-year-old to get more opportunities in the first team for the Spanish club.
However, the aforementioned report states that Graham Potter's side are also interested in the young Spaniard.
The Blues recently added Marc Cucurella to their roster from Brighton & Hove Albion. Cucurella cost the club around €70 million.
However, Marcos Alonso left Chelsea as he joined Barcelona on the transfer deadline day. Hence, left-back is a position where Potter might be interested in adding depth to.
Given Balde's age and his recent performances, he might be a perfect fit at Stamford Bridge.
Convincing the Blaugrana hierarchy to let the player go might be a different story altogether.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez praised Ousmane Dembele for his performance against Athletic Club
Ousmane Dembele enjoyed a good game against Athletic Bilbao as the French winger scored the first goal for his team. Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski, and Ferran Torres also got on the scoresheet.
Xavi praised Dembele's performance. He added that the likes of Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres are also competing for a spot in the wide positions. The Spanish manager welcomed competition in his team.
After his team's win against Athletic Club, Xavi told the media (via Barca Universal):
“Dembele had a great match. Ferran, Ansu, Ousmane… all of them want to play and competition is welcome.”
Xavi added that Dembele had a great game. However, he advised the Frenchman to focus on the basics when things aren't going his way.
“For wingers, they can have good or bad plays. With Dembele, we want him to keep the good things. If you’re not playing well, sometimes you have to limit yourself and play more simply. He has to understand that. We want Dembele to always play at this level. That’s why I wanted him to stay and why I gave him so much confidence.”