Chelsea need Champions League football next season—and fast. Their Europa Conference League run offers hope, but Enzo Maresca knows a top‑four finish in the Premier League is essential. Without it, their big-money rebuild stalls.
So they’re targeting Barcelona.
Reports via El Nacional (h/t 90 min) say Chelsea are eyeing three Barça players: Fermin López, Jules Koundé and Marc Casado. A £50 million offer is already on the table for López, while initial enquiries are underway for Koundé and Casado.
Barça have eased some financial strain, but they still must balance books. Yet Koundé and Casado are core to Hansi Flick’s setup—Casado a La Masia graduate, Koundé pivotal across defense. Their exits seem unlikely.
López is different. With just twelve La Liga starts in 2024‑25, his game time is limited. Still, his rate of goal or assist, and Chelsea’s willingness to wager the cost makes him tempting as reported by Football Talk | Premier League News.
Chelsea admire Lopez’s blend of vision, shooting and work‑rate. He’d offer support to Cole Palmer in Maresca’s midfield.
But Barça have rebuffed swap proposals involving Nkunku and flat‑out rejected a €75M bid—insisting López is untouchable according to the reports
That’s urgency vs. realism.
This is not scattergun shopping. It’s targeted, urgent, dramatic.
Chelsea know they must qualify first. That unlocks the money. That allows the rebuild.
If López falls, they could land a rising star. If Koundé shifts, they’d grab world‑class defence. If Casado moves, they invest in La Masia promise.
But without Europe, none of it moves.