Reports: Chelsea set to trigger release clause of Barcelona star

What's the story?

After a slow start to the transfer market, Chelsea have moved in quickly to complete the signings of Rudiger, Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata and now latest reports in Sport (via BarcaBlaugranes) claim that the Premier League Champions are ready to trigger the €40 million release clause in Sergi Roberto's contract and sign the Barcelona youngster.

Antonio Conte is keen on signing a fullback this transfer window. The London club had been heavily linked with moves for Alex Sandro and Danilo. However, with Juventus unwilling to sell and Danilo signing for Manchester City, Conte has now turned towards Sergi Roberto and sees the 25-year-old Spaniard as an ideal addition to his side.

In case you didn't know...

Future Chelsea star?

An extremely versatile player, Sergi Roberto established himself as a key member in the Barcelona squad last season. Playing mostly as a right-back under Luis Enrique, Roberto is also capable of playing as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder and even as a winger making him an extremely valuable asset to Barcelona.

With the release clause of Roberto only €40 million, Chelsea are well placed to trigger the release clause and swoop in to sign the talented Spaniard. However, it is still not clear whether Roberto himself would want a move to Chelsea.

The heart of the matter

Chelsea have been trying to strengthen their squad and Antonio Conte knows that it will not be an easy task to compete in Europe and the Premier League. The Italian manager has concentrated on increasing the squad depth and the addition of Roberto will add not only depth but also huge quality to the Chelsea squad.

Roberto has experienced playing at the very top level and his displays for Barcelona in the Champions League and La Liga have been solid if not spectacular.

Video

Sergi Roberto will always be remembered in Barcelona for this spectacular goal!

Author's take

At just 40 million euros, a player like Sergi Roberto is definitely a steal in today's inflated market and Antonio Conte will be hoping that he gets the transfer across the line.

While Barcelona might want to hold on to their player, should Roberto want to move, the Blaugrana will be powerless to stop it as Chelsea are ready to meet the release clause. Roberto will bring a fresh approach to Chelsea and it will be interesting to see if the move does indeed come to fruition in this transfer window.