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Chelsea could reportedly pay the €5 million fee it would take to sign Barcelona target Oscar Zambrano.
According to SPORT (h/t El Nacional), the Blues have a financial advantage over Barca, with club president Joan Laporta looking to lower Zambrano's price tag. He made a name for himself at the U20 FIFA World Cup with Ecuador this summer, where he played every minute of their four matches.
Ecuador U20, however, were dumped out of the competition by South Korea U20 in the Round-of-16. Zambrano has been playing for LDU Quito for the entirety of his professional career.
The 19-year-old defensive midfielder has already racked up 29 senior appearances for them across competitions. West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Porto and two Bundesliga teams have also shown an interest in him.
Chelsea have made it a habit of investing in young talent under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's ownership. They already possess Enzo Fernandez (22), Carney Chukwuemeka (20), Cesare Casadei and Andrey Santos (both 19) as their young options in midfield.
They are also in hot pursuit of Zamrabno's compatriot Moises Caicedo. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are not abandoning their interest in the 21-year-old Ecuador international despite Brighton & Hove Albion turning down their £80 million bid.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have seen a slight reshuffle in central midfield this summer. They have added Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu to their ranks after losing Sergio Busquets on a free transfer to Inter Miami. Pablo Torre has also been loaned out to Girona for the upcoming season.
Barcelona star linked with Liverpool move just one season after Chelsea exit
Andreas Christensen joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer.
The Denmark international was restricted to making 32 appearances across competitions under Xavi Hernandez due to multiple injuries. But whenever he was fit and available, he was, more often than not, included in the Spanish tactician's XI.
However, a report by El Nacional is linking him with a return to England just a year after his move from Chelsea, where he spent 10 years. The Reds are apparently planning a €50 million bid for him after their €30 million offer was rejected by the Catalan club.
Jurgen Klopp has Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate as his senior centre-back options. But Gomez and Matip's injury problems on Merseyside are well-documented.
Moreover, Van Dijk (32) and Matip (31) are also in their 30s and the Reds could have to engineer a succession plan for them. Christensen, 27, still has three years left on his contract at Spotify Camp Nou.
