Former Chelsea star being linked with shock Barcelona transfer

Chelsea and Barcelona used to be bitter rivals on the pitch. Gone are the days where greats like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta graced our televisions in a number of historic ties between the two sides. The clubs have trended in different directions over the last few seasons. The Blues celebrated their second Champions League triumph last May while the Blaugrana went into full financial panic mode. As Thomas Tuchel now prepares his men to compete in the UCL knockout stages, Xavi is getting his squad ready for similar ties in the UEFA Europa League.

While the historically great clubs may not be competing against one another on the pitch, they’ve been linked with a plethora of players from one another’s squads off it. Barcelona has reportedly taken interest in a number of Chelsea attackers such as Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. Meanwhile, the Blues have taken a liking to Sergino Dest and Ousmane Dembele. None of these seem feasible during the winter transfer period given the financial conditions at Barcelona. However, the two clubs may find themselves intertwined in the history of one player sooner rather than later. Former Chelsea star midfielder Oscar is now being linked with a shock return to European football amidst interest from the Catalonian giants.

Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar is being linked with a shock move to Barcelona

Oscar has flirted with the idea of returning to Stamford Bridge for years. He has declared his love for the reigning Champions of Europe on numerous occasions, prompting the rumors of a reunion. Nevertheless, the Blues were never seriously interested in bringing him back. Purchasing Oscar from the Chinese Super League—regardless of his assumed role of a back-up midfielder—would be a step back for Chelsea. The Blues are in the midst of a full-blown squad transformation after a transfer ban left them no other choice. A healthy blend of youth stars and world class veterans are being assembled by Thomas Tuchel as he constructs his new empire to his liking. Oscar, as popular as he still is amongst Chelsea faithful, was never going to be a part of that new regime.

The now-30-year-old enjoyed a relatively good few years in SW6. He managed to score 38 goals and further provide 37 assists during his 203 appearances with the Blues from 2012 to 2017. Oscar made the trailblazing jump to the Chinese Super League in the winter of 2017 after Shanghai Port FC (previously Shanghai SIPG) made Chelsea an offer it could not refuse (£67 million). Although he’s been away from mainstream football, he’s remained in good form over the years. The captain of Shanghai Port has managed 143 goal involvements in 170 competitive matches in China. While it’s nothing to write home about, it’s still a good return for a midfielder.

Despite the failure to catch Chelsea’s eye, it seems as if a return to Europe for the Brazilian is on the cards after all. The Blaugrana are seemingly taking all of the cheap help they can get at the moment given the financial restraints they’ve managed to entangle themselves in over the last few years. Philippe Coutinho’s pending move to Aston Villa will free some wages and open the door for Barcelona to make some moves. Xavi has already brought Dani Alves back to the club on a free and now is looking to add Alves’ former Brazilian teammate, Oscar. The Shanghai Port captain won’t come as cheap as many believe though as he’s currently on wages upward of £500,000 per week. One can imagine that the former Chelsea midfielder would likely be willing to take a significant pay cut if it means joining the Blaugrana at this stage of his career. Time will tell whether this rumor materializes or not, but it is nice to see a former Blues star thriving regardless.

What do you make of the Oscar rumors? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!