Chelsea have scheduled a second transfer meeting to sign Barcelona midfielder Gavi this summer as the Catalan club looks set to seal the signing of Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City.
Gavi, 18, has emerged as one of the brightest talents in world football and is a regular for both the Blaugrana and the Spanish national team. In September, he committed his future to Barcelona by agreeing to a lucrative new deal – including a whopping €1billion (£866m) release clause.
However, La Liga refused to ratify the deal due to the club's ongoing financial issues and despite Barca moving ahead to register the player on professional terms in spite of the league’s position, a Catalan court has ruled against the club – meaning his registration has reverted back to that of a youth-team graduate.
The legal ruling, which Barca contest and insist is not a final decision, means that the huge release clause in Gavi's new contract is not currently valid - and that could enable one of the teenager’s numerous admirers to pinch him for nothing in the summer.
The Blues are now seeking to take advantage of his contractual uncertainty. As outlined by Diario AS, they met with his agent Ivan de la Pena in Madrid three weeks ago. Furthermore, a second transfer meeting has now been arranged – with Gavi’s parents set to be in attendance.
There is an understanding from Chelsea that the player’s desire is to remain at Barca but they will look to launch a charm offensive to his parents, alongside his agent again, and put forward the case that they will offer him financial security and sporting opportunities that his current club cannot.
Have Your Say! Would leaving Barcelona for Chelsea be a good move for Gavi? Tell us what you think here.
A recent report in ESPN claimed the Catalan giants have an agreement in place to sign Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez as a free agent, while they had been working on a deal to land Gundogan, who is also out of contract this summer. On Friday, Sport reported that such a deal was now as good as concluded.
Both players will not cost any transfer fee but their wages are problematic, with the Blaugrana needing to make an overall reduction in their annual wage budget by €180m (£159m) before adding new signings to their squad.
Unlike last year, the club will not be able to pull any of their so-called ‘economic levers’ this summer due to La Liga’s strict financial rules. The only way they can raise funds to strengthen their squad is to offload first-team squad players.
Gundogan would add direct competition to the midfield which is already stacked with players, including Gavi – who has played in an advanced role ahead of the other trio of midfielders.
Pedri’s status and position at the club is not questionable, while Frenkie de Jong – despite the club’s willingness to cash in on the Dutchman – wants to remain at Camp Nou and Sergio Busquets is poised to sign a new contract. Franck Kessie is also at the club, Nico Gonzalez is due to return from a loan spell at Valencia and youngster Pablo Torre continues to develop.
Gavi is viewed as a fiery and combative midfielder, who is often deployed in a more advanced position. Alongside the naturally gifted and technical Pedri – another teenage Spain international – he is viewed as a natural successor to Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta at Camp Nou.
Unlike Pedri, who was signed from Las Palmas in 2020, Gavi has been at Barca since the age of 11 having been poached from the youth academy of Real Betis. As such, he has a close affiliation with the club and is unlikely to agitate for a move away.
