Marc Casado barcelona
Chelsea are reportedly planning to make a move to sign Arsenal target and Barcelona star Marc Casado, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The Blues enjoyed a promising campaign under Enzo Maresca last term, winning the Conference League. Moreover, they qualified for the Champions League by finishing in the top four in the Premier League.
Furthermore, the West London club won the Club World Cup last summer. However, they have been displaying inconsistent performances this campaign, sitting seventh in the league. On the other hand, Maresca’s side are currently out of the top eight places in the Champions League.
In the meantime, the winter window is just around the corner, and Chelsea have started exploring options to strengthen the squad to help Maresca continue the rebuild.
Now, Fichajes state that Chelsea are planning to sign a new midfielder following Romeo Lavia’s fresh injury problem and have identified Casado as a serious option after closely monitoring his development in recent months.
The Blues believe the Spaniard possesses the necessary attributes to fit perfectly alongside Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo in the engine room.
Barcelona are prepared to let the midfielder leave in January to balance the books amid their financial difficulties and are prepared to accept around £31m.
Battle
However, the report say that Chelsea will have to overcome stiff competition to seal the deal as Arsenal and Napoli are also considering making a move.
Arsenal want a new midfielder to support Martin Zubimendi. They purchased Christian Norgaard alongside Zubimendi to bolster the midfield last summer, but the Dane has signed a short-term contract.
Casado is the product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy and is a deep-lying playmaker. He struggled to find regular game time during the first few weeks of this season, but amid Pedri’s recent absence, the 22-year-old has been featuring regularly in Hansi Flick’s starting XI. However, it is expected that Casado would be demoted following Pedri’s return.
Casado is still young and isn’t a finished article. He is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to reach the top. So, he would be a great coup for Arsenal or Chelsea should either club purchase him in January.