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Barcelona and Chelsea are one of the main players in the summer transfer window. But there is one difference: if the Catalans get almost all the players they want, the Blues do not. This summer, the Londoners signed defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and winger Raheem Sterling from Manchester City. The transfers are very good, but these are not all the players that Chelsea wanted to get.
It so happened that the players that Chelsea need are being taken away by Barcelona. It all started with Antonio Rüdiger. Upon learning that the Blues were having difficulty negotiating a contract extension with the player, the Catalans tried to lure him over.
After moving to Real Madrid, the German admitted that the Catalans were interested in signing him. However, the football player told his agent that he would only choose between Real Madrid and Chelsea. Here, the player’s desire was the deciding factor as he approached free agent status.
After Rüdiger, Barcelona switched to Andreas Christensen. The Dane was more accommodating. Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has publicly stated that he is counting on the defender. However, these arguments did not affect the player.
The further the past season progressed, the clearer the football player made it clear that he plans to leave the London club. In the end, this is what happened: Christensen moved to Barcelona as a free agent. If the Dane agreed on everything with the Catalans during the season, Tuchel had little chance of keeping him.
Missing Jules Kounde and Raphinha
Chelsea signed Koulibaly to replace Rudiger. However, the Blues still cannot block Christensen’s departure. The Londoners really wanted to get defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla and were close to this. However, a short hesitation led to Chelsea missing the players.
An agreement with Chelsea on the transfer of Kounde was almost reached and if you were to visit any best sports betting site it was predicted that the French player would sign for Chelsea considering the odds. However, at the last moment, the Blues suspended the talks to re-evaluate everything. The Catalans interrupted the offer of the Londoners and intercepted the Frenchman. The Blues wanted to get back into negotiations, but it was too late.
Before that, there was still a situation with the winger Raphinha. Almost leaving the Premier League with Leeds, the Brazilian realized that it was time to think about the future. Moreover, serious clubs, including Barcelona and Chelsea, were interested in him.
The Brazilian’s agent is Deco. Barcelona President Joan Laporta has said that the Portuguese represents the interests of the player, but does not contribute to his transfer to the Catalan club. The Brazilian ended up in Barcelona and has already managed to score a goal in a friendly El Clasico.
Trying to Sign Azpilicueta and Alonso
The Catalans are not going to stop there. Barcelona intend to completely expose the Chelsea defence with Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso. Both players seem to have agreed to move to Barcelona, but the Londoners are blocking these transfers.
It is logical to part with the players now, so that next summer you don’t have to let them go for free. In Alonso’s position, the Blues have Ben Chilwell and Emerson, while Reece James could replace Azpilicueta. However, the chances that the Spaniards will move to Barcelona right now are zero.
The Bottom Line
It is quite possible that Marina Granovskaia could get both Raphinha and Kounde for the Londoners. But in the structure of the Blues, other people are now involved in transfers. Whether this is good or bad, time will tell. So far, it has been successful with varying degrees of success. The transfer window is still open. Continuing to prepare for the new season after it has started is not a good idea. But the Blues are no strangers to this. In this club, spontaneous decisions often lead to success.
