Chelsea and Liverpool eyeing move to sign 22-year-old Athletic Bilbao star: Reports

Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly in the race to sign Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oihan Sancet, who is currently enjoying a brilliant campaign in La Liga.

Both Premier League clubs are in need of midfield reinforcements and have started making plans for the summer transfer window.

Chelsea have already lost Jorginho, who joined rivals Arsenal in January. There is still uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of a couple of midfielders. This includes the likes of N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher.

For Liverpool, their midfield department has been their weak link in the ongoing 2022-23 football campaign which has seen them struggle greatly.

The trio of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner are all in the final months of their contracts at Anfield. Other key midfielders such as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have also underperformed this season.

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool have already set their sights on Sancet as a possible option to bolster their midfield department next season. They could face strong competition from rivals Chelsea, who also have a strong interest in the player.

The Spanish midfielder has very much been a key player for Ernesto Valverde's team this season. He has already registered seven goals in 20 La Liga appearances so far.

Sancet is a very versatile midfielder who can play in various positions such as central-midfield and in a more advanced role. He also possesses an incredible passing ability and has an eye for goal.

The Spaniard's contract is expected to expire in the summer of 2024.

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Chelsea manager speaks on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's omission from the UEFA Champions League squad

Graham Potter submitted his final squad list for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League last week on Friday (February 3).

As expected, there were a couple of surprises from the list, with one of them being the omission of Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

There were question marks following Potter's decision to drop the highly experienced striker from the squad. However, the Chelsea manager explained the reason behind his actions.

He said (via Football.London):

"I don't think it's going to be difficult because Pierre is a professional and of course, I understand he will be disappointed."

He continued:

"It was a tough decision, a tough call. We had three coming in and two had to go out. He was the one that missed out, he's done nothing wrong at all."

The former Arsenal striker has scored three goals and registered a further two assists in 18 games in all competitions for Chelsea this season.