Chelsea now have "strong" chance of signing £206k-per-week Barcelona star

Chelsea are now believed to be “strong” contenders to sign one Barcelona star this summer, with news coming to light that the player and Hansi Flick’s side are currently at an impasse when it comes to a new contract.

Chelsea’s main transfer plans this summer

Amid the Blues’ chase for Champions League qualification, BlueCo are making plans to strengthen the squad this summer ahead of Enzo Maresca’s second full season in charge.

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Chelsea are ready to splash the cash on a centre-back, winger and forward, while it is also believed they could bring in another central defender, left-back, new goalkeeper and attacking midfielder – but all of this will largely depend on their Premier League finish and how many players they can sell (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea supporters will be particularly keen to see fresh attacking options come in, as they’ve lost a degree of potency since the turn of the year. Christopher Nkunku, João Félix and Carney Chukwuemeka will all likely be sold or loaned out as well (Simon Phillips), while Mykhailo Mudryk is currently banned after failing a drugs test.

Ideally, Chelsea need a versatile attacking player who can cover plenty of bases, both through the middle and out wide.

An ambitious target in this regard, but one who’d arguably be perfect, is Barcelona superstar Raphinha.

The former Leeds United forward is enjoying the season of his life at Barça under Hansi Flick, racking up 30 goals and 23 assists across 49 appearances in all competitions, and he can play across multiple areas in the attacking front three.

Raphinha has been linked with a move to Chelsea in recent days, but a new report from CaughtOffiside claims the Brazil international could cost up to £77 million to prise away from the Camp Nou.

Chelsea now “strong” contenders to sign Raphinha

The outlet also claims both Raphinha and Barça are struggling to reach an agreement over a new contract, as the player’s wage demands are currently too high, and fresh terms can only be agreed if he lowers them.

Their precarious financial situation could even hand Chelsea a chance to tempt him back to the Premier League.

Indeed, it is believed Chelsea are now “strong contenders” to sign Raphinha amid this contract debacle, but BlueCo will have to pay him a high salary as well, with his current take-home being around £206,000-per-week.

Arsenal and Liverpool are also named as frontrunners for Raphinha alongside Chelsea, if an exit does end up being on the cards for him, and there is little denying La Liga’s arguable player of the season would be a major upgrade.

“He’s [Raphinha] unbelievable because he’s always 100% very focused and gives us a lot of strength in the defense, but also in the offence,” Flick told TNT Sports Brasil.

“He’s always the player who starts the dynamic to press, but also when we have space, he started in the right moment in these spaces, and it helps us a lot.

“He also always smiles; this is what I like the most, he’s always positive, and it’s important for him to be positive, this is the big thing – then you have confidence to give 100% on the pitch.”