Joan Laporta offers Chelsea chance to sign 2 Barcelona players: Reports
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reportedly offered Chelsea the chance to sign Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres this summer. The Blues were told that the two players they wanted - Jules Kounde and Raphinha - were not for sale.
As per a report in El Nacional, Chelsea were interested in signing the two players they missed out on last summer. They want to bolster their squad and see the two as the perfect fit for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
However, Barcelona are unwilling to sell the duo and have offered them the chance to sign Fati and Torres instead. Both players have been rejected by Chelsea as they are not part of their future plans.
The report adds that Manchester United are in for Fati this summer and are willing to sign him for €60 million. They are ready to lure the winger as they are in the market for a pacy forward.
Arsenal are linked with a move for Torres, but the Gunners are yet to make an offer as they are working on Declan Rice.
Barcelona hijacked Chelsea's deal for Raphinha
Chelsea were keen on signing Raphinha last summer and edged out Arsenal to agree a deal with Leeds United. The Premier League side were ready to sell to their rivals and the Blues were confident of sealing a deal.
However, Barcelona made a late move for the player and asked him to wait for a few days as they needed to raise funds before selling. The Brazilian obliged and got his move to the Camp Nou after the Catalan side matched the offer from the Blues.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani told The Athletic:
"For me it was done with Chelsea. I felt ashamed to go back to Todd Boehly and change the position. I didn't have a choice because it was more important to buy six players than keep Raphinha. But unfortunately, let's say Barcelona influences convinced the player to wait, to wait, to wait until they could find a solution. This shows again the power and the leverage players and their agents have in the system, which, for me, is exaggerated too much. We do a lot of investment to build clubs."
Chelsea were also interested in Kounde but switched focus to Wesley Fofana at the end as they believed the former Leicester City star had a higher ceiling, as per ESPN.