Andreas Christensen back to Chelsea, who says no?

Every Chelsea fan is well aware that Barcelona is an absolute mess right now. The Blaugrana have dug themselves into one of the deepest holes imaginable, settling right before hitting bedrock, which in this case is liquidation. The Catalonian club has beaten the Blues to numerous signings this summer, which has left supporters enraged as the Spanish side was begging for financial aid just weeks ago. Many failed to remember that karma is a relentless force. La Liga has already let Barcelona know that it cannot register its ~€150 million worth of new signings until the wage bill is brought down significantly. No amount of new economic levers can fix this issue.

Naturally, this has the Blaugrana scrambling to get all of their ducks in a row before the upcoming La Liga registration deadline. There have been talks of legal loopholes, leaving players out of the team and selling others for discounted prices. Perhaps the most absurd option that Barcelona has is to release two of this summer’s free signings before the season begins. This means Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie could be looking for new homes as soon as this weekend.

Andreas Christensen may be available in a few days, should Chelsea bite?

The transfer window remains open for three more weeks, which gives the aforementioned duo plenty of time to get settled elsewhere should the unimaginable happen. It must be said that one of the most discussed options from here on out will be a return for Christensen to Chelsea. The 26-year-old isn’t the most popular individual around SW6, especially after departing for Spain. But he spent almost a decade with the club beforehand and if Thomas Tuchel’s comments throughout last season are anything to go by, he wanted the Dane to remain in west London.

Tuchel can’t be blamed for his stance on the situation either. Christensen was one of the most impressive players for the Blues during the German’s first six months in charge. His performance off the bench in the Champions League final will be remembered for years to come. Ultimately, Christensen failed to kick it up a notch and secure his place in the starting XI regularly throughout the last year. He was by no means a poor centerback though.

If this situation continues to develop—personally, I doubt anything comes of it knowing how Barcelona has weaseled its way around regulations lately—a Christensen return must be considered by the board. Chelsea is in between a rock and a hard place right now as it tries to recruit other centerbacks. The Blues are being asked to pay upwards of £80 million for some of their targets, who wouldn’t even be nailed-on starters next season. Todd Boehly has been willing to open up his checkbook thus far, but his cash flow isn’t infinite.

Chelsea needs to be realistic as it plugs some of the holes remaining in the team. Fans cannot be blamed for not wanting Christensen back in blue after the way he left toward the end of last year. However, the Blues can do a lot worse than a free transfer that sees them bring in a 26-year-old who knows the current system extremely well.

Even though there are still weeks left before the window slams shut, Chelsea is beginning to back itself into a corner. Aside from the three starting centerbacks (Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva), the Blues really only have Trevoh Chalobah to deputize. Sure, Marc Cucurella and Reece James dabble in central defense, but it’s unknown at this point what Tuchel’s plans for the young duo entail at this moment in time.

Ethan Ampadu and Malang Sarr are on their way out, with the latter close to a loan move to Monaco. This means the options are extremely limited. The transfer market isn’t doing Chelsea any favors right now. This prompts the question: how desperate does the club need to be in order to consider re-signing Christensen should he become available in the near future?

Would you take Christensen back at the Bridge? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!