£26M Rated Barca Star Gives His Response After Chelsea And Man City Make ‘Enquiries’
Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado has “turned down” approaches from Chelsea and Manchester City, according to reports.
The Spanish international is set to leave the Camp Nou this summer, with Barca prepared to offload him for just €30m (£26m).
However, TEAMtalk claim that Casado has decided he won’t be making the switch to Stamford Bridge or the Etihad Stadium.
It is believed that both Chelsea and City made “enquiries” via intermediaries, but the player is not interested in joining a club where he isn’t a guaranteed starter.
Casado only made 10 starts in La Liga last season, and he won’t leave his current team if he isn’t given assurances that he will play on a more regular basis.
Why were Chelsea pursuing the midfielder?
Manager Xabi Alonso currently has 4 midfield options following the sale of Andrey Santos to Manchester United. He can call upon Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo,
However, there are still doubts about Fernandez’s future, while Lavia and Essugo have struggled to stay fit over the last twelve months.
It looks almost certain that a new holding midfielder will be brought in before the transfer window closes.
Who could be signed instead of Casado?
Reports in Italy suggest that the Blues do hold an interest in Roma’s Manu Kone, but the Frenchman is also on the radar of several other Premier League teams, so there is no certainty that he would pick a move to Stamford Bridge.
Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is a long-term target, but his asking price is pretty steep. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit are also said to be on the shortlistbut despite being very young and inexperienced, neither of them will be available cheaply either.
Cost was likely the main reason why Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka was initially pursued. His experience, combined with the fact that he had worked with Alonso before, made him an attractive target, but the Swiss international has recently confirmed that he will stay with his current club.
