Chelsea 'offer blank check' to sign Barcelona wonderkid

Suraj Radia

• 21 Dec 2023 17:25 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea are looking to ‘take advantage’ of Barcelona’s precarious situation on and off the pitch by ‘offering a blank check’ to one of the La Liga champion’s prized possessions in the hopes of convincing him to move to Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona sit six points behind leaders Girona, who also have a game in hand, in La Liga, putting immense pressure on manager Xavi, coupled with the club’s troubled financial situation, which could limit their spending potential going forward.

The Catalan side’s situation has led to Chelsea looking to swoop for some of Barcelona’s young talents and El Nacional claim that Alejandro Balde is a player who Blues owner Todd Boehly will look to ‘seduce’ in January or next summer.

Balde has been a revelation for Barcelona since breaking into the team as Xavi’s first choice left-back but the 20-year-old has been receiving criticism for the first time in his career due to his side’s poor form.

The Spanish international was relegated to the bench for a number of recent games, fuelling speculation that Barcelona would be willing to cash in on Balde, knowing his fee could resolve a significant number of financial issues.

Barcelona would demand more than €70 million for Balde, a figure which would be ‘no problem’ for Chelsea, who are said to be hoping to beat their rivals to his signing.

Balde would be ‘untouchable’ at Chelsea

Chelsea themselves are also enduring a difficult season, sitting mid-table under Mauricio Pochettino and more than ten points away from the European spots in the Premier League.

However, the Blues have spent more than €1 billion under Boehly in the past three transfer windows and their financial prowess would make them an intriguing proposition for any player even with the club’s poor performances on the pitch.

Chelsea are described as welcoming Balde ‘with open arms’, with a guarantee that the youngster would be untouchable ahead of Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell, both of whom are currently injured.

Balde is also said to be unhappy at Barcelona currently and could be tempted by a move to London, although it would require a massive outlay for Chelsea to conduct a transfer anytime soon – something which could prove difficult due to their struggles with financial fair play.