CHELSEA
Chelsea set to dig deep to lure Gavi from Barcelona
The English club is prepared to make the young central player one of the highest paid, not only in the team, but also in the Premier League.
A big paycheck at Chelsea or purse string tightening operation at FC Barcelona? Midfielder Gavi is now faced with a dilemma: love or money. Should the 18-year-old opt for the Chelsea move, the midfielder stands to become one of the highest paid players not only at Chelsea, but also in the Premier League, according to sources close to the negotiations, with the English club willing to spend big on a player they have been monitoring closely for a considerable amount of time.
As previously reported in AS, Chelsea representatives met with the player’s agent, Iván De la Peña in Madrid three weeks ago to convey their interest in the player. The next meeting is expected to include Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, Gavi’s’ parents and De la Peña where Chelsea are expected to put their cards on the table.
Chelsea are optimistic that they can change Gavi’s line of thinking as the player has always shown his desire to remain at the Blaugrana club since his arrival a season ago. But Barcelona’s financial problems and the player’s contractual situation have changed the landscape and could possibly open the door to an exit with the Stamford Bridge side willing to offer a financially lucrative contract to the current Golden Boy and Kopa Award winner.
Contractual problem
Gavi began the season with a ‘B’ team registration at Camp Nou despite having already played a World Cup with Spain, because he was still a minor aged 17. On 15 September last year, the player from Seville penned a new contract with Barcelona which runs through to 2026. This contract was registered by Barça with LaLiga at 11:59 p.m. on 31 January just as the winter transfer window ended. LaLiga refused to accept the document under Financial Fair Play regulations along with Barcelona’s debts. Gavi was able to temporarily play with the number 6 shirt and play under a standard first team registration temporarily as the case went through the courts.
A recent Barcelona Commercial Court ruling however annulled the precautionary measure and forced Gavi to return to using the number 30 shirt with the midfielder returning to being considered as a Barça B team player. If Barcelona fail to resolve their salary cap issue before 30 June, Gavi’s first team contract would be annulled and the player would automatically become a free-agent and be able to move to another side for zero cost. Something of a surreal situation for a top-level player who is wanted by the best teams in Europe and Barcelona are aware that they will be unable to compete in terms of salary offer with the likes of Chelsea.
Under Todd Boehly, the Stamford Bridge club have already spent 600 million euro on Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Aubameyang, Enzo Fernández, Mudryk, Joao, Badiashile, Madueke...
The other factor that could be instrumental in any future decision process is the possible appointment of Luis Enrique as new Chelsea manager. The Asturian coach has made no secret of his admiration of the man from Las Palacios and a possible appointment could hold some sway in Gavi’s decision.