Chelsea reignite pursuit of €100m star as spectacular Barcelona raid eyed

Marc Casado is one of a whopping six Barcelona players targeted by Chelsea, according to a report.

The 22-year-old has been one of the breakout stars at Barcelona over the past 18 months. Before getting sidelined by a ligament injury in the spring, Casado was almost ever-present under Hansi Flick last season.

This term, too, he has been a regular fixture in the side, although he has rotated in and out more than last term. Nevertheless, Casado remains a hugely promising talent.

In the summer, Chelsea and other Premier League clubs were linked with a surprise move for the defensive midfielder, but nothing ultimately came of it. Casado had no intention to leave Barcelona, and the Catalans had no intention to sell their La Masia product.

Despite the failed approach in the summer, Chelsea remain interested in Casado, according to TEAMtalk. Indeed, heading into 2026, the Blues could make another attempt for the two-time Spain international.

Casado one of six Barca players eyed by Chelsea

The 22-year-old is under contract until 2028, but he is believed to have a quite affordable – by Barcelona’s standards – release clause of €100m. A club like Chelsea could certainly pay such a hefty fee.

However, Barcelona remain firm in their stance that they do not want to lose Casado, and unless he is told that he is surplus to requirements, it is unlikely that the player would agitate for a move.

The report claims that Casado is one of six Barcelona players on Chelsea’s shortlist. The Blues also have a historical interest in the likes of Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo, while they have also more recently explored potential deals for Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez.

Fermin, in particular, was famously the subject of a summer bid for Chelsea. However, Barcelona rejected the offer out of hand and the player has repeatedly made it clear since that he has no interest in leaving the Camp Nou.

Football transfer news headlines today

Van Dijk sends Slot brutal Salah message: Deal with it!

CONFIRMED: Antoine Semenyo picks his next club

Why Xabi Alonso is on the brink at Real Madrid

Chelsea star Mudryk handed 12-month ban

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store