Barcelona in race with Chelsea to sign €50m World Cup midfielder | OneFootball

Barcelona have temporarily paused their efforts to add to Hansi Flick’s squad, with movement unlikely due to the ongoing World Cup. That means they can cast a keen eye over the tournament in North America, and already, one player has appeared to stand out to those in the offices of Can Barca.

Barcelona have identified the signing of at least one defender and one striker as their priorities for the summer transfer window, but also on their agenda could be the addition of a new midfielder. It’s taken for granted that Marc Casado will depart, and given that they missed out on replacing him with Bernardo Silva, they have turned their attention towards possible alternatives.

One of those is Christ Inao Oulai. According to SportsBoom (via CaughtOffside), the 20-year-old is attracting interest from Barcelona, while Chelsea are also said to be considering a move for the Ivory Coast international, who was a late substitute in the African side’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador in their opening World Cup group stage match.

Inao Oulai valued at €50m

Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images

Inao Ouali plays for Turkish side Trabzonspor, who have cottoned on to the interest being shown from Barcelona and Chelsea. As such, it’s reported that they want €50m to sell this summer, which would be steep for a player only one full season in senior football.

Barcelona may well be interested in Inao Oulai, but it is very unlikely that they will try to sign him this summer – especially at that price. Even if Casado goes, they have excellent midfield options, with Flick still able to call upon the likes of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Marc Bernal as senior options, while there is also Tommy Marques that is highly-rated by the German head coach, as was shown by him being given regular first team call-ups during the 2025-26 season.