Barcelona snubbed chance to sign Chelsea attacker before they secured deal for Antoine Griezmann: Reports
According to SPORT (via Barca Universal), Barcelona snubbed the chance to sign current Chelsea forward Kai Havertz before signing Antoine Griezmann.
Havertz came through the ranks of Bayer Leverkusen as a promising playmaker. Former Blaugrana secretary Ramon Planes reportedly watched the player closely during the 2018-19 season. He was impressed by Havertz and wanted to strike a deal with Leverkusen, who wanted a fee of around €70 million for the youngster.
5 - Five different current @ChelseaFC players have scored at the 2022 World Cup, the joint-most for any side along with Barcelona.
Havertz
Koulibaly
Pulisic
Sterling
Ziyech
Blues. https://t.co/okbWUa1Foo
Havertz himself was believed to be keen on signing for the Spanish giants. However, Barcelona saw the move as a high-risk transfer as they reportedly had doubts about whether Havertz could have adapted to the Blaugrana's style of play.
Barca ultimately decided against breaking the bank for the German and instead signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for €100 million. Havertz went on to join Chelsea and has made 112 appearances for the Blues, scoring 27 goals and providing 14 assists.
Chelsea defender teased a future return to Barcelona
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella came up through the ranks of Barcelona as a youngster. However. he only made only one senior appearance for the Blaugrana.
Cucurella has now revealed that he would look forward to a return to the Catalan club in the future. He told Catalunya Radio (via Metro):
"I didn’t get the chance to really play for Barcelona and I’ve always been gutted about that, In the end, if I had the chance in the future, I would value it, it would be very nice."
Cucurella signed for the Blues in the summer from Brighton & Hove Albion and has since made 18 appearances for the club. However, he is yet to impress at Stamford Bridge.
Former Blues' defender William Gallas is skeptical of Cucurella's qualities. He recently told Genting Casino:
"I don’t know what they are getting from Cucurella, He doesn’t play for Spain. He isn’t in the Chelsea starting eleven."
Marc Cucurella talking about playing for Barcelona. https://t.co/pPGbqEv5p5
Graham Potter's side have struggled in the Premier League this season. The west London outfit are currently eighth in the table with 21 points after 14 games.