With just a couple of months remaining of the current season, Chelsea cannot quite yet turn their attention to the transfer market as soon as they would usually have done. Due to the sanctions placed on the club by the UK government, the Blues have been prevented from making any deals or even agreeing new contracts.
Most at Stamford Bridge will certainly hope that changes once the takeover process comes to a conclusion - although exactly when that occurs remains to be seen. Whilst there are a number of contenders to complete a deal for Chelsea, Barcelona could potentially feature prominently in negotiations should any purchase be signed off.
football.london has taken a look at the four major transfer decisions that have to be taken alongside the Catalan giants once the process is completed.
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Antonio Rudiger
Heading into the summer months, the future of German defender Rudiger is a huge topic of conversation. The German, who opened the scoring in the 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford at the weekend, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and has plenty of suitors potentially chasing his signature.
Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all been credited with an interest in the centre-back, whilst Barcelona have recently emerged as a potential destination. The Catalan giants reportedly held a secret meeting with his agent regarding a potential switch to Camp Nou.
Chelsea’s new owners then have to decide whether they pay what Rudiger wants to keep him at Stamford Bridge or risk losing him on a free transfer.
Andreas Christensen
Speaking of defenders who could potentially wave goodbye to Stamford Bridge, Christensen could well be on his way out, too. The Dane - like Rudiger - is out of contract at the end of the campaign.
He has also been linked with a move to Barcelona so it is down to whoever takes the reins at Stamford Bridge to attempt to convince him to stay.
Ousmane Dembele
Away from players currently at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will likely have a comprehensive list of players who could arrive at the club in the summer. One of those names could potentially be Barcelona wideman Ousmane Dembele.
Like the aforementioned Chelsea pair, the Frenchman sees his contract expire at the end of the campaign having been linked with a move to the Blues - as well as London rivals Arsenal. Amid questions over his immediate future, the former Borussia Dortmund wideman appears to have found some brilliant form having scored once and notched ten assists in his last ten league games.
Current boss Xavi has been full of praise for his performances since. Speaking with Marca, he said: "I see him [Dembele] happy, I see him involved. I have no complaints about him, and it depends on him.
"I'm clear. He has a lot of ability and if he works he can be the best in the world in his position. He's making a difference for us, too. He's a very good player for the way we play."
Ronald Araujo
Chelsea could potentially be set to take advantage of another tricky contractual situation with another move for a Barcelona star. Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo sees his contract expire in the summer of 2023.
Whilst the Catalan giants will remain hopeful of extending his stay at the Camp Nou, there appears to be no sign of an agreement as of yet. Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have been noted as admirers of the young defender so the new owners could potentially kick off their transfer business by beating a clutch of rivals to his services.
He would also likely represent an excellent replacement for Rudiger or Christensen, with the pair expected to be going in the opposite direction.
