Chelsea and Barcelona in contact over deal for 21-year-old star: Reports

Barcelona have reportedly been in touch with Chelsea to discuss a potential move for Blues outcast Carney Chukwuemeka in the near future.

Chukwuemeka, 21, has dropped down in his club's pecking order since the start of the 2024-25 season. He has made just one appearance across all competitions so far, featuring in 14 minutes of EFL Cup action.

Due to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's summer arrival and Romeo Lavia's return from an injury, Chukwuemeka has not been named in a single Premier League squad. The Englishman could be aiming to leave his current club to seal a more prominent role elsewhere as a result.

Now, according to reporter Simon Phillips, Chukwuemeka has drawn interest from Barcelona in the recent past. The Blaugrana have contacted the west London side, who are interested in selling the midfielder.

Should the Aston Villa academyproduct seal a switch to Barcelona, he could prove to be a good signing for them. He would offer competition for places alongside the likes of Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Pablo Torre.

William Gallas suggests Chelsea star Cole Palmer could join Barcelona for silverware

Former Chelsea and Arsenal centre-back William Gallas has named Barcelona as a club Cole Palmer could join in search of more trophies. He said (h/t GOAL):

"Cole Palmer might want to leave Chelsea in the future if they don't show they can win trophies, but where would he go? Barcelona would be a great move for him, but they have great young players already like Lamine Yamal and might also be signing Nico Williams."

Gallas, who helped the Blues lift two Premier League titles, added:

"Palmer looks like he is going to have a very similar season to last year and even though he is young, it will be tough to see his friends winning trophies despite the way he is playing. I won't be surprised if he wants to speak to Chelsea in the summer if they again fail to win a trophy. He will want to know clearly what their targets are."

Since arriving in a potential £42.5 million move from Manchester City last summer, Palmer has been a revelation for Chelsea. He has netted 31 goals and contributed 20 assists in 55 total games for his club.

Meanwhile, the Blues will be aiming to get back to winning ways following their 2-0 league loss at Anfield. They will next take on Greek outfit Panathinaikos in a UEFA Conference League contest this Thursday.