Barcelona and Chelsea are reportedly vying for the signature of Layvin Kurzawa, with Chelsea leading the race to sign the PSG defender.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Layvin Kurzawa has become a popular figure in the transfer market, with Barcelona and Chelsea keen on signing him. The Blues are currently the front-runners to secure the services of the Paris Saint-Germain defender.
Layvin Kurzawa has been with Paris Saint-Germain since arriving from AS Monaco in August 2015. But he has struggled to feature prominently for Les Parisiens in recent years, with Juan Bernat the preferred choice ahead of him in the left-back slot. And the arrival of Nuno Mendes last summer has made matters worse for the French defender, who has become a bit-part player at the Parc des Princes.
The 29-year-old has featured just once for PSG this season, playing only nine minutes as a substitute. While his contract has over two years left to run out, Kurzawa’s spell at PSG appears to be winding down. But the player does not have a shortage of suitors, with Barcelona and Chelsea keen on signing him.
The interest from Barcelona stems from Alejandro Balde’s struggles to settle down in the first-team setup since being promoted at the onset of the ongoing campaign. With Jordi Alba well into his thirties, Xavi Hernandez needs to bring in a left-back who can share the workload with the Spaniard.
Kurzawa has thus emerged as a target for Barcelona, with recent reports claiming that PSG will have no qualms about selling the 29-year-old to them. But the Blaugrana will need to fend off competition from Chelsea to secure the services of the French international.
Chelsea’s emergence in the race to sign Kurzawa comes in the wake of Ben Chilwell’s season-ending knee injury. Chilwell’s long-term absence leaves Marcos Alonso as the only left wing-back at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal, although Kenedy has been recalled from his loan spell at Flamengo. Kurzawa has thus popped up as a key target for Chelsea this month.
As it turns out, the Blues are leading the race to sign the 29-year-old from PSG, having already submitted an offer for him. The French defender is also prepared to join Chelsea over Barcelona, leaving the Catalan giants trailing in the race to sign him. Barcelona will thus need to set sights on some other left-back, with Kurzawa appearing likely to move to Stamford Bridge.
