Barcelona has agreed to sign Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie on free transfers.
The 28-year-old has a contract at the Santiago Bernabeu until June 2020, but the La Liga club is keen to offload him to create more space for incoming targets.
The La Liga giants sign the two players in the summer.
Christensen is currently on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and has been a regular for Denmark’s national team since breaking into the side in 2016, while Kessie has impressed with his performances for AC Milan this season.
Balague, who specialises in Spanish football and appears on Sky Sports, claims the deals have been agreed, but neither club have confirmed it.
Christensen has been with Chelsea since 2012 but has only made 13 senior appearances for the Blues.
He spent two years on loan at Gladbach, where he played 78 times. He then spent last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, where he played 30 times.
Club president Joan Laporta confirmed that Barcelona had signed two players but would not name them.
“We’ve completed two signings for next season,” he said.
The Spanish club also talks with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta over a possible transfer.
Joan Laporta, Barcelona’s club president, confirmed that Barcelona had signed two players but would not name them.
“We’ve completed two signings for next season,” he said.
Kessie has played 215 times for AC Milan since moving from Atalanta in 2017 but announced earlier this season that he did not intend to sign a new deal with the Italian club.
Kessie’s contract with AC Milan will expire in the summer, but the midfielder has apparently decided that he does not want to renew.
Christensen has made 156 appearances for Chelsea since joining the Danish side Brondby in 2012.
Chelsea cannot offer new contracts to players because of sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Both players have been able to discuss terms with foreign clubs since they moved into the final six months of their contracts in January. Blues captain Azpilicueta was due to be out of contract at the end of the season. However, due to the number of appearances he’s made for Chelsea this season, he had triggered a one-year extension that was agreed upon when he signed his last deal. .” I’ve been talking with clubs, but it’s not the moment to talk about that,” said Azpilicueta. “It’s not important. This is a big game for us, and we must focus on that.”
According to BBC Sport’s European football expert, Balague, Barcelona is also targeting Leeds forward Raphinha and has an agreement with the player, but the Yorkshire club has asked to delay talks over a fee until next month can focus on their battle against relegation from the Premier League.
If Raphinha moves to the Nou Camp, then France forward Ousmane Dembele may leave, with Paris Saint-Germain the favourites to sign the former Borussia Dortmund player.
The club is keen to turn Adama Traore’s loan from Wolves into a permanent move and will likely use Trincao, a season-long loan at Molineux, as part of a swap deal.
However, Barcelona is not in the running for prolific Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, who is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Barcelona considered a deal for Haaland, but they couldn’t match the numbers put on the table by Real Madrid and Manchester City.
