Bayern Munich willing to activate Atletico Madrid star's €100m release clause - report - Football España
Chelsea and Liverpool are in contrasting run of forms but a common theme between the two Premier League sides next year might be an interest in midfielders as they look to bolster their engine rooms with more energy and depth.
According to Caught Offside, the Blues and the Reds may be about to go head-to-head over the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios having been keeping tabs on his development with the La Liga outfit in recent weeks.
Barrios is valued at £79 million by Los Rojiblancos and has become a vital part of Diego Simeone’s plans in the last year or so, alongside being capped with the Spanish national team for his impressive form with the Atletico first team.
Chelsea could prioritise Barrios over Liverpool
Liverpool have enough quality in midfield with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch to not desperately want to sign another option, especially if it requires them to may a mammoth transfer fee.
Instead, much of their transfer budget next year might be channeled towards revamping their backline and potentially replacing Mohamed Salah, a player that the Reds have been heavily reliant on since his arrival from Roma in 2017.
Meanwhile, Chelsea could prioritise Pablo Barrios’ purchase as they require some more depth in midfield given their over-reliance on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, whereas Romeo Lavia’s struggles with fitness have left the club frustrated.
The Atletico Madrid star could be the ideal option to compete for a place with Enzo Fernandez as both players bring a similar profile with or without the ball, while if employed together, Chelsea could break down lower blocks a bit more easily.
Defensively also, Barrios ends up doing a great job having worked on his game without the ball under Diego Simeone over the years, so he is a tactically intelligent and versatile player, who promises to be an ideal box-to-box option for Chelsea.