Chelsea have initiated talks to sign Gavi from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, it has been claimed.
Gavi is one of Barca’s most prized assets, having come through the club’s famed academy to show huge promise. The 18-year-old midfielder has already made 87 appearances for Barca’s first team and looked set to be a fixture in the coming years, alongside the likes of Pedri.
He committed his future to his boyhood club in September by agreeing a lucrative new deal, which includes an eye-catching €1billion (£866m) release clause. However, that contract is now null and void because LaLiga refused to ratify it due to the club's ongoing financial issues.
Gavi has since reverted to his much less lucrative youth deal and, as things stand, would be free to leave Barca as a free agent in the summer. There is huge doubt over his future at Barcelona and AS reports that Chelsea are muscling in to try and persuade him to move to west London.
The Spanish newspaper reports that Gavi’s agent Ivan de la Pena met with representatives from Chelsea, including sporting director Christopher Vivell, in Madrid three weeks ago. The meeting reportedly went very well and they are expected to reconvene soon to outline a possible contract for Gavi at Chelsea.
Gavi had been delighted to agree a long-term deal with Barcelona last year, but he is now ‘very upset’ with the club over the way they have handled the subsequent problems. It remains unclear how it could be resolved, with a £178m hole meaning they may be unable to sign new players in the summer.
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Chelsea have splashed over £550m on transfers since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the club from Roman Abramovich in May. They are reportedly trying to tempt Gavi with a significant signing-on bonus, which they can offer because they might not have to pay a transfer fee.
For now, Gavi remains an important member of Xavi Hernandez’s squad, who are set to win LaLiga this season. He played in their 0-0 draw with Girona on Monday, which increased their lead over Real Madrid to 13 points.
Xavi has made it clear that he wants the club to do everything in their power to keep hold of the player who is following in his footsteps. "Gavi is a boy that thrills us all when we see him competing like this. He puts his soul, his heart and his character on the pitch and transmits it to the rest of the team, and he is just 18,” he said recently.
"He was gifted with leadership skills. He projects that courage and that rage when he plays football and it's something special to see. I already said this many times but I never get tired of praising him. Hopefully, he will never stop like this, because he has no limits."
