£78m double Barcelona raid on Chelsea sparks disagreement between Hansi Flick and Deco

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is at loggerheads with the club’s sporting director Deco over the prospective double signing of Chelsea pair Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka, according to a report.

Barcelona-based newspaper Sport claim that the La Liga giants are keen on signing both Lavia and Chukwuemeka from Chelsea in January in order to revitalise their midfield. Deco is particularly eager to land Lavia, having missed out on the Belgian when Chelsea signed him from Southampton in August 2023.

Deco also believes there is an opportunity to strike a bargain deal for promising talent Chukwuemeka, as the England U21 international has been cast aside by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

However, not all at Barcelona are in agreement about this potential double deal. Sport add that Flick does not want to go in that direction and would rather put his trust in Barca’s La Masia academy graduates.

17-year-old wonderkid Marc Bernal impressed in the early parts of the season but has since torn his ACL and had to undergo surgery on the issue, which will keep him out until the 2025-26 campaign.

There are several other exciting young midfielders in Barca’s youth ranks though and Flick wants to use them. Not only would this earn the respect of the supporters, it would also save the club money for different transfer targets.

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Flick has Barca midfield headache

It is understandable that Deco is sounding out potential midfielders to join Barca’s ranks. Ilkay Gundogan returned to Manchester City in the summer, while Bernal, Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo are all having to deal with injuries.

Plus, rumours that Frenkie de Jong will not sign a new contract and will instead leave the Nou Camp next summer persist.

Deco clearly feels that Chelsea are not helping Lavia and Chukwuemeka’s careers. Lavia has been kept out of action for most of his Chelsea spell so far due to injuries, while Maresca is happy for the Blues to offload Chukwuemeka.

While Chelsea have struck gold with some of their transfers, most notably Cole Palmer, some of their deals have not worked out.

If they were to allow either Lavia or Chukwuemeka – or both – to leave, then they would likely have to take a significant financial hit.

Lavia joined for an initial £53m, potentially rising to £58m (up to €69.3m / $75.6m), while Chukwuemeka cost £20m (€23.9m / $26m) when joining from Aston Villa.

Given Flick’s firm stance, it appears unlikely that the Barca board will sanction any move from Deco for the pair. Chelsea chiefs, meanwhile, hope that Lavia can start to prove his worth now that he has returned from a hamstring injury, though Chukwuemeka’s future looks like it will be away from Stamford Bridge.

AC Milan, Crystal Palace and Saudi Pro League clubs are all monitoring Chukwuemeka ahead of making contact over a possible January deal.

Barca were also linked with Chelsea captain Reece James recently, though that shock rumour has since been shut down.

Chelsea news: Man City claim, Napoli interest

Meanwhile, reports in the Spanish media have sensationally claimed that Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to re-sign Palmer from Chelsea.

Palmer has been a revelation for Chelsea, having established himself as their talisman and notched 31 goals and 20 assists in 54 games since joining from City in a £45m transfer.

While some at City will indeed regret the attacker’s departure, TEAMtalk understands that City actually have their eye on different transfer targets.

Although, Chelsea have been warned that they risk losing Palmer to a European giant such as Barca if they fail to start challenging for major honours in the future.

While the 22-year-old playmaker looks set to stay put for at least a few years, his English compatriot Ben Chilwell is pushing to leave Chelsea after being told he will barely feature under Maresca.

TEAMtalk revealed recently that Man Utd have identified Chilwell as a top left-back target for the January window.

But it has since been claimed that Antonio Conte wants Napoli to win the race for the former Leicester City star.

Napoli sit top of Serie A, and Chilwell could therefore be convinced to link up with the likes of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour and fight for the Scudetto.

It is thought that Napoli will offer Chelsea an initial six-month loan deal that includes an option or obligation to buy next summer.

Barca youngsters who could save the club millions

By Ryan Baldi – full story here

Marc Bernal

Towering 17-year-old midfielder Bernal looked like a revelation in the Barcelona midfield to kick off the 2024-25 season, handed a La Liga debut by Flick in August and drawing parallels to Sergio Busquets for his rangy physique and coolness on the ball.

Thrown straight into the starting line-up, the left-footed defensive midfielder exhibited impressive poise and ball-recovery skills in his La Liga bow, a 2-1 win away to Valencia, making four tackles and completing 94 per cent of his passes.

But in just his third outing for the first team, the 6ft 4ins teenager suffered and ACL injury that is set to keep him out of the line-up for up to a year.

Marc Casado

Bernal wasn’t the only debutant in the Barcelona midfield as the Blaugrana took on Valencia in August. His partner in central midfield that evening was 20-year-old Marc Casado, who was making his first senior La Liga start after featuring in 13 minutes of action off the bench last season.

Breaking the Barca mould slightly, Casado is known more as a ball winner than a pass master in the centre of the park, a reputation he lived up to at the Mestalla, where he made four tackles.

The combative midfielder started again two weeks later, playing an hour in a 7-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Bernal’s injury was an unfortunate blow for the youngster, but with Casado impressing thus far in 2024-25, La Masia’s production line has ensured Flick can count on plenty of strength in depth in midfield.

Fermin Lopez

An Olympic gold medallist, Lopez did double duty for Spain this summer, serving as an unused substitute at the Euros before assuming a lead role at the Paris Games.

The effervescent attacking midfielder enjoyed a breakout La Liga campaign last season, scoring eight goals in 31 appearances. And he carried that form into the Olympics, where he finished as the tournament’s second-highest scorer with six goals, a tally that included a brace in a victory over host nation France in the gold medal match.

Lopez has thus far been utilised as a substitute by new boss Flick in the 2024-25 campaign. With his energy and invaluable ability to break from midfield and seek scoring chances, he could be a difference-maker in Barca’s challenge for La Liga supremacy.