Chelsea, who have already been linked with a move for two Barcelona defenders in the current window – centre-back Frenkie de Jeng and full-back Sergio Dest – are reportedly interested in a third player currently on the Catalan club’s book, Gavi.
They are hoping to take advantage of the fact that talks about a new deal for Gavi at the Nou Camp have been dragging on for months without resolution and the fact the release clause for the 17-year old is comparatively low at £42 million.
They know that they will be able to offer Gavi, who is already a full Spanish salary, a considerable boost to his current £1,600 a week youth team salary.
They are likely to face intense competition though – Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are all reported to be tracking his situation.