Chelsea have placed Gerard Mart\u00edn on their defensive shortlist as Xabi Alonso looks to strengthen the left side of his back line. That versatility makes Mart\u00edn an appealing option for Chelsea, particularly if Alonso plans to switch between a back four and a three-defender system.<\/p>\n However, AC Milan are currently pushing harder and appear ready to increase their offer after identifying the Spaniard as a priority target.<\/p>\n Barcelona would prefer to keep Mart\u00edn, with Hansi Flick viewing him as an important squad member.<\/p>\n Though, the Catalan club have not completely ruled out a sale if a significant proposal arrives.<\/p>\n Sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside<\/strong> <\/em>that Chelsea and AC Milan are both seriously interested in Mart\u00edn.<\/p>\n Milan previously offered around \u20ac20 million and are now reportedly prepared to raise their proposal towards \u20ac35 million.<\/p>\n Flick has asked Barcelona to resist the approaches because he values Mart\u00edn\u2019s tactical reliability and ability to cover multiple defensive roles.<\/p>\n However, president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco must also consider the financial benefits of selling an academy-developed player for a substantial fee.<\/p>\n Chelsea have yet to make a confirmed formal offer, which gives Milan an early advantage.<\/p>\n The Blues may therefore need to decide quickly whether Mart\u00edn is a genuine priority or simply one of several left-sided defenders being monitored.<\/p>\n Flick has described Mart\u00edn as a \u2018superb\u2018 player.<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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Barcelona\u2019s official website confirms that Mart\u00edn is contracted until June 2028, leaving the Spanish champions in a strong negotiating position.<\/p>\n From Chelsea\u2019s perspective, Mart\u00edn would provide balance, technical security and greater flexibility in possession.<\/p>\n At 24, he is young enough to develop further but already experienced enough to compete for immediate first-team minutes.<\/p>\n A fee around \u20ac30-35 million would be reasonable for a versatile Barcelona-trained defender.<\/p>\n However, Chelsea should not become involved in an auction simply because Milan are prepared to raise their offer.<\/p>\n The player\u2019s preference will also be decisive. If Mart\u00edn remains determined to work under Flick, Chelsea would be better moving towards a target who is fully committed to joining Alonso\u2019s project.<\/p>\n The deal makes tactical sense, but only at the right price and with clear encouragement from the player.<\/p>\n Talks happening now: Arsenal transfer target willing to join Chelsea instead<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chelsea have placed Gerard Mart\u00edn on their defensive shortlist as Xabi Alonso looks to strengthen…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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The Barcelona defender offers useful flexibility because he can operate as a traditional left-back or move inside as a left-sided centre-back.<\/p>\nChelsea monitor situation as Milan increase their offer<\/h2>\n
![\"Spurs](\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image_2026-07-27_054006542-190x114.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Barcola](\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-07-27T042423.887-190x114.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Cristian](\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image_2026-07-27_034640440-190x134.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/section>\nSmart tactical fit but Blues should avoid a bidding war<\/h2>\n