Barcelona are still on track to complete the signing of Chelsea centre-half Andreas Christensen amid new financial woes which has threatened to ruin the whole deal in total.
Christensen, 26, is likely to be one of the first outgoings to be confirmed of the Todd Boehly era as a move to the Camp Nou stalls but as has been on the cards for a long while now, is still expected to eventually go through when the financial situation is balanced once again. Not being able to re-sign Lionel Messi up to a new contract was one of the major consequences of the first financial crash that sent the Catalan giants into the ruins but a similar situation may be re-developing itself as Serie Roberto faces a similar situation to the current Paris Saint-Germain winger.
Xavi not being able to sign Roberto up to a new deal is one of the major worries he has to contend with at this moment and it seems as though transfer activity could be stunted if the latest reports in the Spanish media were to be believed. As per Mundo Deportivo via the Daily Mail, the Barca board could not currently sign up the Danish international alongside Franck Kessie until funds were to be freed up from player sales. This has inadvertently pushed the likes of Frankie De Jong and Ousmane Dembélé ever-closer to the exit doors as both Man United and Chelsea lurk respectively waiting to pounce on both players who need to be shafted off the wage bill if new acquisitions were to be purchased.
READ MORE: N'Golo Kante sold, Ousmane Dembele miss - Chelsea's worst case first Todd Boehly transfer window
And according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, it's more a matter of time rather than if the 26-year-old was to get his wishes granted in leaving the Premier League for a new challenge abroad. His tweet read: 'Barcelona won't change their plans on Christensen and Kessié. Both deals are already agreed and completed on a free transfer - they can't be registered yet because of Financial Fair Play situation.
'Both players have received "guarantees" from Barça. Matter of time.'
Once this deal was to be announced, it is expected that new owners Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel will move quickly to sign primary centre-back target Jules Kounde before the pair then consider their internal and external options for external recruits to replace the outgoing Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta.
In an ideal world, Tuchel wouldn't have had to make these radical changes to his backline and his own Christensen admission ahead of the final day of the 2021/22 campaign suggests that respect between player and manager remains despite the Dane missing out on the final three games of the season which included the FA Cup final loss at the hands of Liverpool.
"Andreas came in the morning of the match to inform me, to speak to me," Tuchel said when asked about the Christensen FA Cup final situation and what went down.
"He told me he was not ready to play the match, to start the match and be on the bench. He had his reasons. They stay private and confidential.
"It was not the first time, as you can see over the last weeks; we had some of the same situations. That's why he did not play regularly over the last weeks. We thought we are in a good progression development because he played a strong match before the final against Leeds. The conversation took place. We had to respect it. Of course. He has our support still, but for tomorrow I am unsure."
Chelsea's soon-to-be number four was present in his training gear to deliver his farewell to the Stamford Bridge faithful after the final day Watford win and this latest update on Barca's situation will certainly please the want-away defender.
