Chelsea face transfer panic as Barca eye Pique replacement

FT Desk

• 19 Nov 2022 10:17 CST
• 3 min read

Raphinha and Jules Kounde both chose Barcelona over Chelsea in the summer, and the Blues and the Blaugrana are set to lock horns over another key transfer target this winter.

Chelsea also had a passing interest in Robert Lewandowski, but while there was never any doubt that the Pole would join Barca from Bayern Munich, Raphinha and Kounde both entered talks at Stamford Bridge before plumping for Camp Nou.

Chelsea ultimately spent €183.7 million on defenders this summer - Todd Boehly's first transfer window as owner of the club - acquiring Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly from Leicester, Brighton and Napoli respectively.

READ: Gvardiol wants to follow Nkunku to Chelsea

But none have impressed, even if Fofana can blame injury, and new head coach Graham Potter is understood to want a left-footed centre-back to realise his vision for the team.

Christopher Nkunku is now injured until February, meanwhile, but he undertook a medical in Frankfurt with Chelsea doctors in August, and it has been widely reported that as well as plundering RB Leipzig for the France international the Blues would also sign Josko Gvardiol<\b>.

Pique problem

But now Barca have a Gerard Pique-shaped gap in their squad following the club legend's retirement, and Sport report that Gvardiol has been lined up as their ideal replacement.

READ: Xavi announces Barcelona's January transfer priority

How Barca would fund such a deal remains to be seen. Gvardiol is rated at €55.1m by Football Transfers in-house algorithm and Leipzig are understood to want nearly twice that having bolted him down to a new five-year contract in September.

Barca suffered an early group stage exit from this season's Champions League and their summer transfer spending - Lewandowski, Raphinha and Kounde cost a combined €153m - was predicated on reaching at least the quarter-finals in 2022/23.

Barca are expected to offload fringe players like Franck Kessie and Jordi Alba in the winter window, but the kind of money needed for Gvardiol might take the activation of yet another "financial lever."