Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Barcelona trio Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay during transfer talks between the clubs.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will move for any of the three players but new co-owner Todd Boehly has built a positive relationship with Barcelona, despite the LaLiga giants hijacking their deals to sign Jules Kounde and Raphinha this summer.
Aubameyang only joined Barcelona from Arsenal in January but is considering his future following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski at the Camp Nou.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel holds a positive relationship of his own with the 33-year-old from their time together at Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel has said he is happy with his forward line following the £45million signing of Raheem Sterling and a move for Aubameyang would mean Chelsea shifting their transfer plans, which have been focused on signing new defenders.
De Jong remains the primary target for Manchester United but the midfielder has been reluctant to move to Old Trafford throughout this transfer window.
He is the highest-paid player at Barcelona and is being asked to reduce his salary or leave, with Barca having already accepted a £71m bid from United.
The 25-year-old is owed an estimated £17m by the club in deferred wages, which is a complicated issue that would need to be resolved. As De Jong weighs up his options, Barcelona have asked Chelsea to match the offer made by United.
There is a feeling that De Jong could be more open to a move to Stamford Bridge because Chelsea can offer Champions League football, but no contact has been made between the Blues and his representatives.
Any move for De Jong is also complicated by Chelsea currently having five international midfielders in their squad. They have also agreed a £20m deal to sign teenager Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa. Chelsea have been asked to be kept informed about the situations regarding Aubameyang and De Jong, as well as Depay.
Barcelona remain in a precarious financial position ahead of the new season. That is despite them spending over £130m in the transfer market this summer and their innovative efforts to raise capital through the sale of intellectual property and merchandising rights.
They are desperately trying to offload players to allow them to sign Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso from Chelsea. Club captain Azpilicueta has told Boehly and Tuchel that he wants to leave but they remain open to keeping him after failing to secure other transfer targets.
Chelsea are, though, closing in on deal to sign Marc Cucurella after agreeing a £52.5m fee with Brighton for the Spanish defender.
The transfer remains conditional on young Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill moving the other way, with a buy-back clause being discussed in the negotiations. Tuchel wants to sign three more senior defenders after bringing in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
Leicester’s Wesley Fofana is the only centre-back option currently being explored by Chelsea, who have an urgent need to strengthen their defence after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers for Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But Leicester are asking for over £80m for Fofana. Any move at that price would make the 21-year-old the world’s most expensive central defender, surpassing the £80m paid by Manchester United to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester in 2019.
