Barcelona lead Chelsea and Man Utd in race to sign €30m-rated Olmo

Barcelona have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Dinamo Zagreb forward Dani Olmo despite both Chelsea and Manchester United having held talks with the Croatian champions regarding the future of the Spain international.

The 21-year-old - who is a product of the famed La Masia academy in Catalunya - is pushing for a January move after seeing Dinamo crash out of Europe ahead of the transfer window and is keen to find a club that can help him earn a place in Spain's Euro 2020 squad.

Goal  can confirm that Barca feel confident in getting the deal over the line for around €30 million (£25.6m/$33.5m), though Dinamo are holding firm with an asking price of €40m (£34.1m/$44.6m).

Barcelona believe that Olmo can come in and make an impact immediately in their first team, while Dinamo are aware of further interest from England that could drive up the price.

Both Chelsea and United are long-term admirers of Olmo, with their European scouts having seen him play on numerous occasions.

He is not the only Dinamo player on Chelsea's radar, with teenager Antonio Marin also of interest after he starred against the Blues in the UEFA Youth League back in April.

Olmo is just one of a number of targets for Chelsea in the January transfer window as they look to spend big after their transfer ban was halved.

However, their big targets such as  Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner are not on the market for a move in this transfer window.

The likes of Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha, Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze and Lyon's Moussa Dembele are alternative options, although the Ligue 1 outfit have moved to deny they will sell the latter in January.

Chelsea's interest in attacking talent could also lead to players leaving in this window, with Pedro attracting the interest of MLS clubs Inter Miami and New York City FC.

Inter lead the race to sign Olivier Giroud but progress is slow with Lyon and Bordeaux having also shown an interest in the wantaway France international.

Michy Batshuayi was named in the starting 11 for Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie against Nottingham Forest, but he also has loan interest from Aston Villa, though Chelsea are not ready to sign off on his departure.

Marcos Alonso is also attracting interest from Inter but the price tag could be out of reach for the Serie A giants.

Additonal reporting from Ignasi Oliva.