Barcelona set to steal yet another Chelsea target

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 4 min read

Barcelona beat Chelsea to Raphinha and Jules Kounde last summer, and they plan to pull off more of the same in the winter transfer window…

Chelsea also had a passing interest in Robert Lewandowski, but whilst the Pole was always going to join Barcelona from Bayern Munich, the Blues got as far as discussing terms with Raphinha and Kounde before they plumped for Camp Nou.

The add insult to injury, Barca also secured Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso on free transfers from Chelsea, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has disappointed since subsequently making the move the other way.

READ: Kante out, Moukoko in: What Chelsea need in January transfer window

Bad for the Blues

The Blues spent big in the summer, but they are expected to add further to Graham Potter's squad in what will be his first transfer window as boss, and Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile has been identified as the player to shore up his defence.

The 21-year-old left footer narrowly missed out on Didier Deschamps' France squad for the World Cup, and remains a cheaper alternative to Josko Gvardiol, who shone in Qatar for Croatia. However, Barca have now entered the race to sign him.

— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) August 31, 2020

"Courted by Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile is likely to leave Monaco in January," report l'Equipe. "Also courted by Manchester United and Barcelona, the French international's move to London could come to an end in the coming days."

READ: The five Barcelona players who could leave in January

The report goes on to say that Barcelona are frontrunners for his signature, in admiration of his 6'4" stature coupled with his ability to bring the ball out from the back.

Monaco are holding out for around €40 million for their player, but Barca will push to structure the deal so that they either pay less or meet that amount but in more than one instalment.

The Blaugrana's purse strings are tighter than they anticipated this winter following their group stage exit from the Champions League.