Chelsea enquired about the availability of Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado during the January transfer window but were rebuffed in their approach, according to a report in Spain.
The Blues only signed 19-year-old Mathis Amougou from Saint-Etienne over the winter period in what was a surprisingly quiet market for the Premier League’s big spenders. They were far busier when it came to outgoings, allowing the likes of Axel Disasi, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga to leave the club on loan.
However, Chelsea were still evidently interested in the prospect of bolstering their squad at the midpoint of the campaign, reportedly asking after Casado as they looked to strengthen their midfield options.
The west London giants were keen on signing the 21-year-old during last summer’s window but Casado instead opted to put pen to paper on a new contract with Barcelona that will keep him in Catalonia until 2028.
Despite Casado committing his future to La Blaugrana, Que t’hi jugues report that Chelsea enquired about the midfielder’s availability during the winter window. Chelsea are not the only Premier League side interested in the youngster, who has a €100m (£83m) release clause in his current contract.
Unsurprisingly, the Blues’ approach was swiftly rejected, with Barcelona’s talented youngster keen to stay with the club for the foreseeable future after enjoying an excellent breakout season under the guidance of Hansi Flick.
The La Masia product has featured in 30 matches for Barcelona this season and has excelled at the base of midfield. Consistently impressive performances have even seen him earn his first senior Spain caps.
While the Catalan giants have Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong within their ranks at present, Casado has still been offered plenty of first-team opportunities and will continue to play a sizeable role for the club.
Chelsea are not short on midfield depth and their interest in the Spaniard comes as a surprise given they have spent over £300m on Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall across previous windows.
Enzo Maresca did lose several midfielders in January, however, with Cesare Casadei joining Torino permanently and Carney Chukwuemeka moving to Borussia Dortmund on loan.
