The midfield has emerged as an area of worry for Chelsea in recent times. That is largely down to injury problems. Dario Essugo arrived this summer and was immensely impressive in pre-season, as one could help but notice the similarities between his style of play and that of Moises Caicedo. But he would end up getting injured on international duty before ever making a senior appearance for the club and has undergone surgery which will keep him out for months.
There is not much that remains to be said about Romeo Lavia's fitness issues. He is a phenomenal talent and Chelsea look like a better team whenever he is on the pitch. But he is rarely available due to constant injury problems. On the other hand, Andrey Santos has had some fitness problems lately as well, while even Caicedo is not fully fit although he continues to perform at a 'best in the league' level.
Considering the circumstances, it is not hard to see why Chelsea might look to make another addition in the middle of the park, despite their depth there. And a Barcelona midfielder appears to have caught their sights, despite the recent failure to sign Fermin Lopez.
As reported by The Daily Briefing (via Chelsea.news), Chelsea see Marc Casado as a perfect fit for their system. They are prepared to offer €30-35 million this January.
Chelsea ready to make €35m bid for Spanish international in January
Casado has proven himself as a vital part of FC Barcelona's team. But even at 22 years of age, he is not a nailed-on starter for Hansi Flick.
If he continues to struggle for consistent game time, it is very possible that Casado might look for a change of scenery at some point. But will that be as early as January?
We are uncertain about that. In fact, it has proven to be very difficult to sign youngsters from Barcelona over the years as they seem intent on succeeding at Camp Nou. It is very possible that that is the case with Casado as well. So, it remains to be seen if Chelsea will end up making a push to sign the Spanish international defensive midfielder in January.