Barcelona are leading the race to sign Federico Chiesa from Juventus with the player’s agent having informed the club of his willingness to move to Catalonia.
Chiesa is free to leave Juventus after being informed that he does not feature in the plans of new head coach Thiago Motta.
Juventus completed the loan signing of Nicolas Gonzalez from Fiorentina with an obligation to make the move permanent this weekend, freeing Chiesa to leave Turin.
The Italy international has been heavily linked with a transfer to the Premier League this summer and has previously been a transfer target for Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool.
Arsenal have also been mentioned as a potential destination for the 26-year-old this summer, with Mikel Arteta considering options to add to his forward line before Friday’s transfer deadline.
However, Barcelona are leading the race with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Chiesa’s agent has informed the Spanish side of his openness to a move.
Chiesa has emerged as an alternative for Nico Williams for Barcelona after frustration in their bid to sign the latter from Athletic Bilbao. Juventus are awaiting an official bid for Chiesa and a loan move is an option given Barcelona’s difficult financial situation.
Chiesa has scored 32 goals and provided 23 assists in 132 appearances for Juventus since arriving from Fiorentina in a €50m deal in 2020. He has seven goals in 51 caps for Italy and formed part of the team that won Euro 2020, earning inclusion in the Team of the Tournament.
