Barcelona are eyeing a move for Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
That’s according to journalist Gerard Romero, who says the Catalan giants have the defender ‘in their sights’ for next season.
Barcelona are keen to strengthen their squad for new manager Xavi but are still limited financially, with the club still trying to reduce their wage budget and debts.
It means the club have started to look to the free transfer market, with several players who are available next summer currently on their radar.
Now Christensen can be added to that list, with Romero reporting that they have the 25-year-old ‘in their sights’ ahead of next summer, when he would ‘arrive on a free transfer’.
His current Chelsea contract expires in the summer, and so far, there has been no progress on a new deal, despite the defender playing a more prominent role under Thomas Tuchel this season.
🎙 El central que tiene controlado el #Barça para la próxima temporada es Andreas Christensen, jugador danés de 25 años del #Chelsea y llegaría libre. Lo estamos contando en https://t.co/vrsj4XOUJL #fcblive #fcbarcelona
— Gerard Romero (@gerardromero) November 18, 2021
He is, therefore, free to talk to clubs pre-contract agreement come January, and Barcelona are seemingly eyeing up the opportunity to get him on a free.
There’s no mention of whether they have spoken to the player or even Chelsea at this point, just that he’s on their list of potential targets.
It’s a move that makes plenty of sense, though. Barcelona need defensive additions, he’s available on a free and in the right age range as well, so expect more from this the closer we get to January.
If Chelsea want to avoid another Rüdiger situation, they’ll need to act quickly and decisively.
