Chelsea and Arsenal to compete this summer for €70m midfielder | OneFootball

As we chug towards the summer, some rumours just won’t go away, and among them is the much mentioned Chelsea interest in Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios.

CaughtOffside are the latest site to report on the potential move for the 21 year old rising star, claiming the Blues and Arsenal are set for a summer battle to try and sign the deep lying playmaker.

PSG, Bayern Munich and Tottenham are also named as being in the mix. Barrios has broken into the team as a regular this season and has been a key part of Atleti’s title charge so far.

A foolish red card picked up against Celta Vigo 3 weeks ago saw him banned, but he’s still racked up 27 appearances in all competitions this season and has quickly become a favourite of Diego Simeone, keeping former Chelsea man Conor Gallagher out of the team at times.

Chelsea must act soon to avoid price increase

Pablo Barrios playing for Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Barrios is still tied to a very serious contract, with more than 3 years left to run and a €100m release clause. They’re already apparently in talks to extend that deal to 2030 or beyond, and presumably raise the release clause as part of that.

So moving in the next couple of months could be crucial if Chelsea are really serious about signing him. If Romeo Lavia isn’t able to play regularly between now and the end of the season, marking two full campaigns where his availability has been almost non-existent, it would be no surprise to see Chelsea prepared to spend big on an alternative.

A €70m bid is suggested here, with Arsenal also considering an offer of a similar size. This summer could be a big one for the youngster as he either gets a major new deal or moves on.