Chelsea ‘Propose Huge Barcelona Swap Deal’ for Unsettled Forward | OneFootball

Chelsea are reported to have offered Barcelona the chance to sign forward Christopher Nkunku in a swap deal involving midfielder Fermín López.

After seeing most of his debut season at Stamford Bridge hampered by injury, Nkunku failed to establish himself under Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, ending the season with just nine Premier League starts.

Chelsea are expected to listen to offers for the Frenchman, who arrived from RB Leipzig for £52 million ($70 million at the time), and Mundo Deportivo claim the Blues have even looked into sending him to Barcelona.

Following on from reports of a £59 million ($79.8 million) bid from Chelsea for Barcelona midfielder Fermín, MD state the proposal actually revolved around a swap involving Nkunku.

Despite a desire to bolster in attack this summer, Barcelona are believed to have rejected Chelsea’s offer, declining to part ways with 22-year-old Fermín after an impressive season under Hansi Flick.

Fermín is on Chelsea’s radar. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Indeed, Barcelona have no desire to offload Fermín, whose departure from Catalonia will only be entertained if he specifically requests an exit.

Nkunku is not seen as a priority addition to the Barcelona squad. Instead, the La Liga champions are chasing a deal for Liverpool’s Luis Díaz, with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford seen as the preferred alternative.

On the other side of the negotiating table, Chelsea will continue to hunt for a buyer for Nkunku, who has been linked with a whole host of clubs across Europe. Bayern Munich, Juventus and a number of Premier League rivals are all thought to be keen.

Chelsea are expected to demand a fee similar to their initial £52 million outlay, given the 27-year-old still has four years remaining on his contract.