Barcelona are said to be eyeing three Chelsea players as they look to bolster their current attacking options, following the arrival of new boss Xavi last week.
The former captain has returned to Catalonia following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, with the 41-year-old tasked with attempting to make the club a competitive outfit once again, amid the ongoing turbulence behind the scenes owing to their financial troubles.
Equally, on the pitch, a scattergun transfer approach in recent years has left the new boss with a squad devoid of real attacking quality, the departure of talisman Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer leaving a gaping hole in the forward ranks.
What has been left is an underwhelming attacking unit – with Antoine Griezmann having also returned to Atletico Madrid – with injuries to Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati further enhancing their current plight, while summer signing Sergio Aguero faces an uncertain future following a recent heart scare.
According to Sport, the La Liga giants are keen to bolster their attacking ranks in January and may turn to Premier League leaders Chelsea as a source of potential new arrivals.
The report suggests that the club are keeping a close eye on the Blues trio of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi, with the hope of bringing in at least one new loan signing in January.
The sheer depth of attacking options at Stamford Bridge has seen game time limited for both Pulisic and Ziyech especially under Thomas Tuchel, albeit with injury also having played its part in inhibiting their involvement.
As for Hudson-Odoi, the youth product has been heavily tipped for an exit in the past, amid interest from Bayern Munich, although he has taken his chance in recent weeks in the absence of the likes of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.
It remains to be seen if the European champions would accept a loan offer for any of that trio, with a permanent deal seemingly out of the question due to Barcelona’s current financial predicament.
Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling is another to have been tipped for a move to the Nou Camp, potentially in the New Year, although any departure from the Etihad appears unlikely despite his current lack of action, with the interested party having to turn their attentions elsewhere.
