Chelsea plot move for Marc Casado with Barcelona open to departure due to crowded competition for places in midfield

Casado was a regular starter under Flick at the start of the 2024-25 campaign and his impressive performances for the Blaugrana earned him a national call-up. However, once Frenkie de Jong had fully recovered from his injury in February, Casado slowly lost his place in the starting lineup and his ligament injury further limited his game time towards the end of the season.

Flick highly rates Casado as a player and even convinced the club to offer a new deal to the midfielder last summer, which is valid until 2028. However, with players like De Jong, Fermin Lopez, Marc Bernal, Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo already on the roster, there is too much competition in the team's midfield. According to Sport, Chelsea are reportedly keen on signing the 21-year-old and if the Blues agree to offer a higher price than his current valuation of €30 million (£25.9m/$35m), Barcelona will be willing to sell the player.

Chelsea are not the only team who have expressed their interest in Casado, as Atletico Madrid are also keen on signing the Spaniard, although their bid would be much lower than what the Blues would offer.

Enzo Maresca's side will be back in action on Saturday as they take on Palmeiras in the Club World Cup quarter-final.