Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has dismissed reports that Chelsea have made an “official bid” for Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado.
The Blues brought in ten new players in the summer transfer window with owners Clearlake spending £282.2m on additions for Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea have had a mixed start to the new season after winning the Club World Cup over the summer with Maresca’s side winning three, drawing two and losing two Premier League matches.
Seventh-placed Chelsea have made it a transfer policy to buy some of the best young players in world football as they keep building a squad capable of winning the Premier League.
And now Barcelona duo Casado and Fermin Lopez are on their radar with reports claiming that Chelsea are preparing an ‘official bid’ to sign the former, while they attempted to sign the latter before the summer deadline.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “In the last few days, there have been reports from England and Spain about Chelsea preparing an official bid for Marc Casado, valued around €35–40 million. However, as of now, I’m not aware of any concrete negotiations, bids, or discussions between Chelsea and Barcelona for Casado.
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“Casado did attract Premier League interest last summer, and after changing agents, some English clubs approached his new representatives. But Casado did not want to leave Barcelona, and Barcelona had no intention to sell him. Right now, he’s considered a key player for their project.
“Now, regarding Fermin Lopez – Chelsea really appreciate him. They see great potential, as he can cover multiple roles and could develop into something special.
“Chelsea even made a late bid in the final days of the summer window, showing ambition and testing whether Fermin might be tempted. But Fermin was very clear: he wanted to stay at Barcelona.
“Barca didn’t want to sell him either – certainly not for €40 million. Any future move would involve a completely different valuation.”
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks Chelsea haven’t been improving their squad in recent years despite the big spending.
Carragher said on The Overlap: “When I look at Chelsea, I think about what you did in the Club World Cup – everyone wanted to win it. Real Madrid really wanted to win, PSG did, and so did Manchester City, all those that we class as the best teams.
“So I do think it’s a big thing and it will help build a connection between Enzo Maresca and the supporters, which wasn’t really there last season.
“I’m not sure it’ll push Chelsea any closer to the title though. When Chelsea do business, over the last couple of years, it feels like a lot of players are changing without anyone really lifting the level.
“I know Cole Palmer has been amazing, but all your wingers feel the same.
“A perfect example is (Jamie) Gittens coming in and Madueke leaving – there is no elevation, and I see that with a lot of positions at Chelsea.”