Barcelona are eyeing Chelsea midfielders Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka for January reinforcements, according to a report.
The League leaders spent the summer looking for a more physical profile to add to their midfield but, after losing out to Aston Villa to chase Amadou Onana and Arsenal to Mikel Merino, they ended up transfer window without making this signature.
according to SPORTsporting director Deco remains keen to find a midfielder who can bring a bit more athleticism to the squad and is on the lookout for any potential opportunities in January, scouring Europe for any available players.
Lavia and Chukwuemeka have emerged as possible targets, with both players battling for minutes under new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for different reasons.
In Lavia’s case, the 20-year-old dazzled in pre-season before going down with injury, and now faces a battle to force his way into a successful side. Chukwuemeka, however, is simply out of favor at Stamford Bridge, having been urged to leave Chelsea in the summer in search of regular minutes.
It is even claimed that Barcelona approached Chukwuemeka in the summer but failed to agree a deal for the 20-year-old, who has just 14 minutes of Carabao Cup action to his name this season.
The coach of Barça, Hansi Flick, does not currently share the desire to sign a new midfielder. He thinks Marc Casado deserves minutes, while 17-year-old Marc Bernal is seen as a major hope for the future once he returns from his ACL injury next season.
Gavi and Fermin Lopez are close to returning from their own injuries, while Frenkie de Jong recently made his long-awaited return. With defenders Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen as emergency cover, Flick believes that Barça should not rush into anything.
