Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly in a summer transfer battle to clinch Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casado.
The Spaniard could be set to leave Barcelona this summer as they seek to ease their ongoing issues with FFP and offer Nico Williams guarantees so he could be registered.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, the La Liga champions would be willing to sell Casado for €30 million even though he recently signed a new contract.
The Spaniard was a regular fixture on Hansi Flick’s side before he picked up a knee injury in March.
After spending around two months on the sidelines, Casado had to settle for being an unused substitute for Barcelona’s final four La Liga games of the season.
There now appears to be some doubt surrounding his future with the club, even though he is under contract until the summer of 2028.
Marc Bernal is also set to return from a long-term knee injury, which could knock Casado further down the pecking order in Flick’s squad.
According to El Nacional, Chelsea and Liverpool could both offer the Spain international a route out of Barcelona this summer.
The report suggests that the two Premier League giants are willing to offer €40m (£35m) to secure Casado’s services.
21-year-old is undoubtedly a talented footballer and has the potential to grow into one of Europe’s top midfielders.
However, it is difficult to see why Chelsea would need to sign him, given the number of central midfield options that are already at Enzo Maresca’s disposal.
The Chelsea boss can already call upon Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
As for Liverpool, they could be on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder after they failed to sign Martin Zubimendi last summer.
Barcelona still hold Casado in high regard, but believe they are well stocked in central midfield with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong.
Recall, Softfootball had previously reported that Barcelona want Cancelo return in £128m summer transfer.
Barcelona are reportedly working to bring Joao Cancelo back to Camp Nou this summer, just a year after the Portuguese full-back left for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal.
Cancelo impressed during his 2023–24 loan stint from Manchester City, making 42 appearances, scoring four goals, and assisting five more. Despite the club’s interest in a permanent deal last year, he instead joined Al-Hilal on a long-term contract.
