Having already extended the contracts of Pedri and Ansu Fati, it was only normal for Barcelona to then turn their attention to their latest starlet: Gavi.
The young midfielder has taken Europe by storm with his mature performances at the age of 17, and that led to inevitable rumours claiming clubs would trigger is largely affordable €50m release clause.
Chelsea were immediately thrown into the mix, mostly because they have money to burn, as shown by their summer spending on Romelu Lukaku, and the fact they are in form, therefore making them an attractive destination.
Even if the Blues wanted to sign him and did trigger the release clause, they would still have to convince the youngster to leave Barcelona, which some believe would be very difficult to do.
Still, the La Liga side, now managed by Xavi, aren’t going to take any chances, which is why the first steps are being taken to renew Gavi, currently tied to the club until 2023.
Mundo Deportivo are the ones reporting it, claiming Barcelona have now reached out to Ivan de la Peña, the player’s representative, and ‘first contact’ has been made over a new contract.
That’s when Chelsea are mentioned, put forward as one of the teams who have ‘their eye on’ the player, who are one of the reasons why the Catalans ‘wanted to convey their unequivocal position’ that ‘they believe in him and want to renew him’.
Gavi, down his end, ‘wants to continue at Barcelona, the club of his dreams’, who themselves ‘cannot be distracted’ and need to keep him around, because his €50m clause ‘is not unreasonable’ for ‘the great transatlantic clubs of European football’.
