Fabrizio Romano addresses Barcelona's reported interest in Chelsea superstar Reece James
Barcelona will reportedly not make a move to sign Chelsea star Reece James this summer despite recent claims suggesting otherwise.
Journalist Gerard Romero (h/t BarcaUniversal) recently claimed that Real Madrid and Barcelona could battle it out among themselves to sign James this summer. It has also been said that he could be available for as little as €50 million.
Fabrizio Romano, however, has poured cold water on such rumors. According to the Italian transfer expert, the England international is considered untouchable at Chelsea, especially after his new contract.
James signed a six-year deal in September to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2028. Barcelona will apparently prioritize signing a new right-back this summer and it would make sense for them to explore more cost-effective options.
Spending even €50 million on James would seem unwise given their well-documented financial troubles. Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo and Sergi Roberto have played in that position under Xavi Hernandez this season.
Roberto is arguably the only natural right-back out of the four but the 31-year-old's contract at Spotify Camp Nou expires in June 2024. Sergino Dest is out on loan at AC Milan until the summer but it seems unlikely that he will find favor under Xavi in the future.
Hence, it will be interesting to see who Barca end up targeting this summer for the right-back role where they evidently lack depth and quality.
Barcelona hopeful of signing two Chelsea stars this summer on free transfer
As per the Mirror (h/t Chelsea Chronicle), Barcelona remain hopeful of signing N'Golo Kante and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer.
The French midfielder, 32, could leave as a free agent at the end of the season, although the Blues are in talks with him over a new deal. Barca are apparently ready to pounce if he doesn't commit his future to Chelsea.
They also hope that the Blues will terminate Aubameyang's contract this summer to facilitate a free transfer to Spotify Camp Nou. Arsenal did that in January 2022 to allow the former Borussia Dortmund forward to join Barca for nothing in transfer fees.
The 33-year-old Gabon international joined the west London giants from Barcelona on a two-year deal in September. He has since found it very hard to play regularly for his new club, starting just 10 games across competitions this term.
Barca currently lack a natural backup for Robert Lewandowski, 34, who has been in woeful form for club and country in recent weeks.