Barcelona could be "forced" to accept Chelsea's offer for Ousmane Dembele despite the Blues not wanting to part with any money for the French winger, it has been claimed.
Dembele appears set to leave Barca this week with the financially-stricken Spanish club keen to rid themselves of his substantial wages as soon as possible after he told the club he would not be renewing his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
And Dembele could now seal his move to Stamford Bridge with just days of the January transfer window remaining.
It comes after Thomas Tuchel's side were handed a transfer boost in their pursuit of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, and amid reports linking the club with a move for his club teammate Alex Sandro.
Here are all the latest Chelsea transfer rumours.
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Blues eye Alex Sandro
Chelsea have reportedly turned their attention towards Juventus full-back Alex Sandro as they attempt to sign a replacement for Ben Chilwell.
England left-back Chilwell has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he injured his anterior cruciate ligament when Chelsea beat Juventus 4-0 in November.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Juventus defender Alex Sandro is back on the Blues' radar but negotiations are yet to get underway with the Italian giants.
It is claimed Chelsea previously offered £33million for Sandro, although how much the defender would now cost is not clear.
Chelsea's De Ligt transfer boost
Thomas Tuchel has been handed a major transfer boost as he aims to land Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
According to CalcioMercato, Juventus could consider selling De Ligt this summer, with his contract in Turin set to expire in the summer of 2024.
The Italian club are said to believe they can still pick up a premium fee for the defender if they do cash in this summer, rather than wait for him to run his contract down further.
That means he could be available in the next transfer window – which will be music to the ears of Tuchel as he faces losing Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen when their contracts expire at the end of the season.
Barcelona 'forced' to accept offer
Chelsea are ready to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele this week – if they can bring him in on a free, it has been claimed.
With Barcelona struggling financially they could be forced to accept letting the Frenchman go for no fee, according to El Nacional.
The report claims that if Barca do want to make some money from the sale, "they will have to negotiate against the clock" with the transfer window closing next Monday.
But it also adds that fresh competition may have entered the race for Dembele, with Paris Saint Germain now also said to have registered their interest.
