Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic is reportedly a transfer target for both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain heading into the summer window.
According to an exclusive report from French outlet Le 10 Sport, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are considering signing Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic after his difficult year with La Liga giants Barcelona.
Pjanic joined the Catalan outfit last summer from Juventus as part of a deal that saw Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo move the other way. And, it would be safe to say that the move has not worked out for any parties involved. Indeed, while Arthur has struggled to make an impact at Juventus and struggled with injuries, Pjanic has hardly been able to get a look-in into the starting XI at Barcelona.
The 30-year-old finds himself behind Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and even youngsters Pedri and Ilaix Moriba in the pecking order of things at Camp Nou. And, given the situation, Pjanic is now said to be desperate for an exit from Camp Nou, with his services already being offered to clubs in Spain and across Europe including Chelsea and PSG, who are both now mulling over signing the Barcelona misfit.
Chelsea, as things stand, possess a packed midfield unit, with four players in N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Billy Gilmour competing for two slots under Thomas Tuchel. The Blues will also be welcoming back a host of their on-loan midfielders such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Tiemoue Bakayoko among others at the end of the season.
However, it must be noted that the futures of the returning loanees is far from secure at Stamford Bridge. So, there could be room made for another central midfielder come summer, especially with Chelsea and Barcelona reportedly considering swapping Pjanic for Jorginho.
PSG, like Chelsea, have an abundance of central midfielders in their midst. However, most of them are defensive-minded, apart from Marco Verratti, who manager Mauricio Pochettino prefers to use as a No. 10. So, there could be space for someone like Pjanic, who could essay the role of a deep-lying playmaker as part of the midfield double pivot at Parc des Princes.
Both Chelsea and PSG have been offered Pjanic’s services and, as per the report, respective managers Tuchel and Pochettino are mulling over the possibility of signing the former Juventus man. The report goes on to say that the nature of a deal is yet to be decided and the two clubs could be open to taking him on loan for a season and seeing how things pan out.
As things stand, it seems like Pjanic is set to be on his way out of Barcelona come the end of the season, with the Catalans already identifying options to bolster their midfield. What now remains to be seen is whether the Bosnian international secures a move to either of Chelsea or PSG or ends up signing for a different team altogether.
