FC Barcelona are reportedly looking to hijack Chelsea’s attempt to sign France international Marcus Thuram, with Arsenal and Newcastle United also interested in the Borussia Monchengladbach star.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Xavi Hernandez is keen to sign a versatile attacker who can also act as backup for Robert Lewandowski, with Thuram a player who suits Barcelona’s profile. However, as per the report, Chelsea are currently looking at bringing the Bundesliga forward to Stamford Bridge.
CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs recently reported that Chelsea are confident in securing a £8.5m deal to sign Thuram, with MilanLive claiming that Arsenal are also interested in the attacker alongside Newcastle, as per CalcioMercato.
And now, Barcelona have made a complicated transfer saga even that messier with the Catalan giants registering their interest in Thuram, with Barca looking to repeat their Raphinha episode in the summer with Chelsea with the French international.
As we remember, Chelsea though they had won the race against Arsenal to sign the former Leeds United star, only for Barcelona to swoop in at the last second win Raphinha’s signature, with a similar situation seemingly about to play out this January.
Indeed, whilst Thuram is a different player to Raphinha on almost every level, Barcelona’s interest in signing the Gladbach attacker does complicate matters for Chelsea, who looked like they were running away with the race to sign the 2022 FIFA World Cup finalist.
Barcelona signing Thuram would be a big shock for Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle
Barcelona signing anybody this window after what happened in the summer feels unlikely, which is why it would come as a shock if the La Liga side somehow managed to beat a strong Premier League trio in Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle to Thuram’s signature.
After all, Barcelona’s financial situation is still rather dire, and signing a player like Thuram, who would command a high salary, would only make Barca’s problems off the pitch worse, with Chelsea missing out on the forward now nothing short of another embarrassing episode for Todd Boehly.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
