Barcelona 'identify Chelsea duo' as January transfer targets | OneFootball

Barcelona are looking at Chelsea midfielders Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka in their search for January reinforcements, a report has claimed.

The La Liga leaders spent the summer hunting for a more physical profile to add to their midfield but, after losing out to Aston Villa in pursuit of Amadou Onana and Arsenal over Mikel Merino, ended the transfer window without making such a signing.

According to SPORT, sporting director Deco remains keen to find a midfielder who can bring a little more athleticism to the team and is on the hunt for any potential opportunities in January, searching Europe for any players who could be available.

Lavia and Chukwuemeka have both emerged as possible targets, with the two players struggling 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 injured, and he now faces a battle to force his way back into a successful side. Chukwuemeka, however, is simply out of favour at Stamford Bridge, having been urged to leave Chelsea in the summer in search of regular minutes.

Lavia & Chukwuemeka are on the radar / Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

It is even claimed that Barcelona approached Chukwuemeka during the summer but failed to reach an agreement for the 20-year-old, who has just 14 minutes of Carabao Cup action to his name this season.

Barca boss Hansi Flick does not currently share the desire to sign a new midfielder. He believes Marc Casado is deserving of minutes, while 17-year-old Marc Bernal is seen as a significant hope for the future once he returns from his ACL injury next season.

Gavi and Fermin Lopez are both nearing comebacks 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 is of the opinion that Barca do not need to rush into anything.