2 years ago
According to rumours in Spain, Chelsea has publicly explored the prospect of selling Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner to Barcelona.
Barcelona is entering a new era under Xavi, and the club is scouting the market for possible acquisitions in 2022. Following Ronald Koeman's departure, the Spanish giants are anxious to bolster their new manager's team, but are limited by budgetary restraints.
Barcelona lost £404 million (€481 million) in the previous financial year, and its debts and future liabilities exceed £1.14 billion (€1.35 billion).
Despite this restriction, the Catalan club has been connected with a slew of players in recent weeks, as the January transfer window approaches. According to reports, Xavi has prioritised the acquisition of a new forward, prompting the club to contact Chelsea. The club originally spoke with Chelsea officials in October, according to Sport, and has since resumed the topic in the past few days. The Blues have brought up the names of Ziyech and Werner, who they are willing to sell for the proper price, thanks to the new line of communication. The transfer of Ziyech to Barcelona is said to be the best option for all parties, although a deal for Werner is not ruled out at this moment.
In February 2020, Ziyech agreed to join Chelsea, and in the summer, he moved from Ajax to west London for £33.4 million (€40 million). The Moroccan winger has shown flashes of his talent in 52 games for the club, scoring seven goals and assisting eight times, but injuries have slowed his progress.
The battle for a spot in Thomas Tuchel's team is tight, but Ziyech has lately re-entered the fray, playing 90 minutes against Juventus and Manchester United. Werner's career at Chelsea, on the other hand, has been a little different since his £47.5 million summer transfer from RB Leipzig. The German striker had a hit-or-miss first season and appears to be lacking in confidence in front of goal this season. The 25-year-old, who scored 28 goals and had eight assists for RB Leipzig in the 2019/20 Bundesliga season, has only three goals in 11 appearances for Chelsea this season in all competitions.
However, Ziyech and Werner aren't the only Premier League players who have been linked with a move to Barcelona.
Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres, both of Manchester City, have been linked with a move recently.
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