Chelsea have been given a boost in their attempts to sign Benoit Badiashile as well as learning more on the likely location of Jorginho in 2023. With Todd Boehly expected to be one of the busiest men around during the winter window, he may once again come across familiar transfer rivals Barcelona.
The Catalan side were embroiled with almost every deal Chelsea were involved in last summer and came face-to-face and head-to-head in battles for players from the respective club or battling to sign new ones from elsewhere. That is likely to change going into the new year though.
Whereas Chelsea are planning to continue their own squad overhaul with big money moves across the pitch, Xavi may not be afforded the same backing in the market as Graham Potter. The former Barcelona midfielder saw his team dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage phase despite a positive start to the league season.
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Having spent a large amount of their money brought in through economic levers there is still a financial squeeze at Camp Nou after deals for Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski. Xavi doesn't expect more of the same to follow though. He said: “I think the transfer window for us will be quiet. I’m very happy with current squad."
After reports in France that Barcelona had made an approach to hijack Chelsea's deal for Badiashile from Monaco, it now looks like the path is clear to sign the 21-year-old. Football.london understands that a price of around £35million is close to being agreed between the two sides and that personal terms haven't been an issue either.
The defender could be joined by Enzo Fernandez and a host of other mid-season targets though and not having Barcelona breathing down their necks could give Chelsea a better chance. One of the players that could be on the way out is Jorginho. His contract expires in the summer and is free to negotiate a deal away from the club on a pre-contract on January 1.
With midfielders being a priority for the Blues this window, having his situation cleared up early could impact the moves going forward and if a player is to come in, it would open up a slot for the Italian to leave. In a slight merry-go-round moment Barcelona are one of the sides that could have room for him.
Experienced midfielder Sergio Busquets is also out of contract and could yet depart his boyhood club. “Busquets will stay with us until the end of his contract in June," Xavi revealed. "Then we'll see, it will be his decision. If things go very well, we will try to convince him to continue."
A large part of Jorginho's future could be what happens with Busquets and that, in turn, will once again impact Chelsea heading into 2023.
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