Chelsea are reportedly eyeing a swoop for wantaway Barcelona defender Arnau Comas, who will be available for free next summer.
According to El Nacional, Barcelona could be on the verge of losing Arnau Comas in the near future. The highly-rated central defender currently plies his trade at Barcelona B, but he is furious with the club over the lack of opportunities with the first-team. The Catalans have also neglected the player’s contract situation, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
Club president Joan Laporta is apparently keen on keeping hold of the services of Comas. But it may already be too late, with the defender strongly considering a move away from Camp Nou, especially with clubs like Chelsea and Everton interested in him.
A native of Catalonia, Arnau is a homegrown talent through and through. He began his youth career at La Masia, eventually working his way up to Barcelona B in 2019. After spending a spell on loan at UE Olot, he is now the captain for Barcelona B and trained with the senior side under Ronald Koeman multiple times.
The Dutchman, though, had often neglected Comas, refusing to hand him his Barcelona debut on multiple occasions. The youngster’s quest to find regular game time could get even trickier under new coach Xavi, who is already preparing a major squad overhaul, with Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen emerging as one of the potential targets.
Comas’s precarious situation at Barcelona has now put Chelsea on red alert. The Blues are running the risk of losing several star defenders next season, including the Barcelona-linked Christensen and German international Antonio Rudiger.
While Thomas Tuchel has maintained an interest in top players like Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde, it appears he is also keen on further reinforcing his backup options. This is where Comas comes into the fray, as the Spaniard is widely regarded as one of the most gifted young defenders in the Barcelona youth setup.
The Blues are already willing to offer the 21-year-old a much higher salary at Stamford Bridge as well as the opportunity to potentially make a name for himself under Tuchel next season. The Chelsea boss has been very welcoming to young defenders lately, with Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr, in particular, enjoying significant game-time.
One would expect that tradition to continue next season, as the Blues brace themselves for the departure of at least two of their first-choice options with one of them perhaps even joining Barcelona.