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Chelsea have held talks with Barcelona teenager Gavi about a free transfer in the summer.
One of the most talented teenagers in the world, Gavi already has 18 senior caps for Spain and, last year, won both the Kepa Trophy and the Golden Boy award for the most talented young player in Europe.
However, he has become an unintended victim of the financial problems facing Barcelona.
Last September he signed a contract extension which would keep him at the Spanish club until 2026, when he was still registered as an academy player. His contract, though, included a clause that allows him to leave as a free agent if he had not been registered by June of this year,
That attracted opposition from La Liga who argued that the deal offered him effectively breached Barcelona’s salary cap, and, in March, a Spanish court ruled that his deal should be revoked, and he should return to his former status as an academy player.
And that has now opened the door for Chelsea to make their move.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.