Barcelona and Bayern Munich are reportedly vying for the signature of Andreas Christensen, with the Blaugrana the front-runners to land the Chelsea defender.
According to a report by German publication Sport Bild, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are in talks with Andreas Christensen over a possible Bosman move in the summer transfer window. And the Catalan giants are leading the race to sign the Chelsea defender, with Bayern’s latest approach being unsuccessful.
Andreas Christensen has steadily established himself as a key figure for Chelsea since returning from a loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach. It is particularly under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel that the Dane has grown leaps and bounds at Stamford Bridge, becoming a mainstay at the back for the Blues.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a solid 2021/22 season, turning out 26 times for Chelsea, chipping in with two goals and one assist in the process. But the Blues are in a spot of bother over Christensen’s long-term future as he has entered the final six months of his contract. The player’s situation at Chelsea has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich keen on signing him.
The interest from Barcelona stems from the advancing years of Gerard Pique. The veteran defender has shown signs of age catching up with him. And with Eric Garcia, who was brought in last summer as a potential successor for Pique, failing to make an impression this term, signing a centre-back will keep Barcelona in good stead.
The Catalan giants are also poised to offload Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet sooner or later, thereby necessitating the arrival of a new central defender in the summer. Christensen is thus a viable target for Barcelona, who will need to fend off stiff competition from Bayern Munich in his pursuit.
Bayern Munich’s desire to pursue the Chelsea defender comes in the wake of the announcement that Niklas Sule will join Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Sule’s departure will leave a spot open in the Bayern Munich defensive department, which Christensen can ably fill.
The Bundesliga champions even approached the 25-year-old recently, but to no avail. Instead, talks with Barcelona are progressing more smoothly, leaving Bayern Munich fighting an uphill battle to sign the Chelsea defender on a Bosman move. It remains to be seen if Barcelona will indeed wrap up Christensen’s signing in the summer or the Bavarian giants somehow find a way to claw their way back.
