Chelsea and Atletico Madrid show interest in 21-year-old Barcelona midfielder – Report | OneFootball

Difficult choices are something that FC Barcelona have become all too familiar with. For the Catalan giants, the last few years have been full of such decisions and movements. Even today, despite being in a much healthier financial position, Barcelona must consider such decisions every once in a while.

With the summer transfer window now open and various operations now underway, La Blaugrana must remain mindful of their situation and the limits within which they must operate. For now, the two primary targets have been Espanyol’s Joan Garcia and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams.

The Spanish goalkeeper has already been successfully acquired, but the Nico Williams operation is still underway. However, at the same time, Barcelona must tend to potential sales as well in order to generate some revenue on that end for the club.

After all, a significant sale could end up being quite beneficial for Barcelona considering their recovering financial situation. As of right now, however, a new update suggests that incoming interest from Premier League side Chelsea for a certain Barcelona midfielder could prove to be important.

Chelsea showing interest in Marc Casado

Marc Casado in action for Barcelona against Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

According to SPORT, the London-based club is reportedly interested in the services of Barcelona midfielder and La Masia product Marc Casado. Still just 21 years old but with the qualities of a true leader on and off the pitch, the Spaniard enjoyed a great season with the first-team in the most recent campaign.

A fan-favorite already, Casado is a player who has a strong connection to both Barcelona and the culture around the club and city. Letting him go would be a big call, but the Catalan giants are aware that some difficult decisions will have to be made this summer.

Currently with an active contract until 2028, Casado also has a €100 million release clause. While it is quite unlikely that Chelsea would end up paying the release clause, any offer that is significantly above his €30 million valuation, as per SPORT, would be considered by Barcelona.

A fellow La Liga club is also eyeing the Barcelona gem

Interestingly, Chelsea is not the only club reported to be interested in the 21-year-old Barcelona midfielder. Fellow La Liga side Atletico Madrid also consider him a player who fits the profile that they are looking for, but their offer will likely not be as lucrative as the one Chelsea could potentially make for the player.

Moreover, it is important to consider the sporting aspect of this as well. With the return of Marc Bernal from injury, and the possible adjustment of Raphinha towards a more attacking midfield role, there are a lot of players fighting for chance in that Barcelona midfield.

The likes of Marc Bernal, Raphinha, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, and even Gavi are all there. This would mean that Casado’s opportunities next season are likely to be extremely limited, and it was visible enough last season that Flick preferred Bernal over him when both were fit as well.

Casado remains dedicated to the club

Still, that should not take away anything from the meritocracy that was shown in regards to Casado’s playing time last season. He fully earned his place with exceptional performances ever since Bernal’s unfortunate injury, but his own untimely lateral ligament injury near the end of the season stopped him from having even more of an influence.

With Barcelona hoping to return to the 1:1 rule soon, perhaps a sale like Casado’s would not hurt to consider. Still, there is quite some time left in the transfer window this summer, and unexpected occurrences can never be ruled out when it comes to Barcelona.

As for the player himself, he has no intention of leaving the club just yet. His affiliation and loyalty to Barcelona is unquestionable, and it is going to be a difficult process to explain the situation to him should it arise and Hansi Flick may need to have a conversation with the player himself potentially.