Barcelona plotting surprise double swoop of 2 Chelsea stars: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea stars Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia. They are looking for a loan move for the duo but will have to fight off competition.
The Blaugrana have had to deal with a number of injury issues this season, especially in midfield. The likes of Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Pedri have all faced injuries. They are looking to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window and have identified two players.
As per Sport (via Tribal Football), Barcelona would be looking for loan moves for Chukwuemeka and Lavia. Chelsea signed Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022. He's made 28 appearances for them so far, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He's made just one appearance this season as he's dealing with an injury.
Meanwhile, Lavia arrived at Stamford Bridge from Southampton last summer for a reported fee of £55 million. He's also had to face injury issues since then and has been able to make just four appearances across competitions for the club. The west London side already have a number of players in their squad and could look to offload in January.
AC Milan and Manchester United have also been linked with a potential move for Chukwuemeka.
Pundit names Barcelona as a great club for Chelsea superstar
Former Chelsea defender William Gallas believes Barcelona would be a great club for Cole Palmer if he is to leave Stamford Bridge. He said that if the Englishman continues to perform at the highest level but the club don't win trophies, he might leave next summer.
Gallas said (via Goal):
"Cole Palmer might want to leave Chelsea in the future if they don’t show they can win trophies, but where would he go? Barcelona would be a great move for him, but they have great young players already like Lamine Yamal and might also be signing Nico Williams.
"Palmer looks like he is going to have a very similar season to last year and even though he is young, it will be tough to see his friends winning trophies if he isn’t at Chelsea despite the way he is playing. I won’t be surprised if he wants to speak to Chelsea in the summer if they again fail to win a trophy. He will want to know clearly what their targets are."
Palmer has been excellent for the Blues since arriving from Manchester City last summer. He's scored 31 goals and provided 20 assists in 54 games across competitions for them.