Chelsea allegedly retain an interest in Barcelona winger Raphinha, despite failing to sign him last summer.
On the back of impressing during his two seasons at Leeds United, Barcelona pushed hard to secure the services of the Brazil international.
During his first campaign at Camp Nou, the 26-year-old has contributed six goals and four assists in La Liga, including the decisive strikes in each of their last two fixtures.
However, it has been claimed in recent weeks that Barcelona regard the playmaker as someone who could be sold to boost their financial situation.
The Catalan giants have already been informed by La Liga president Javier Tebas that they must raise £177m in the summer before they can add to their squad.
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A recent report has suggested that Xavi and club officials may be prepared to sell Raphinha if they receive a suitable offer for a player who they paid £55m for last year.
According to Sport, Barcelona would prefer not to part ways with Raphinha, nor does the player want to leave his boyhood club.
Nevertheless, the situation is allegedly dependent on the market and whether any clubs express a willingness to meet Barcelona's demands.
Chelsea are said to be monitoring the situation despite being shunned by Raphinha soon after a consortium led by Todd Boehly completed a takeover of the Blues.
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The West Londoners were willing to pay more than Barcelona to complete a deal, only for Leeds to eventually accept that Raphinha only had eyes for the Spanish outfit once they had declared their interest.
Since being rejected, Chelsea have made numerous reinforcements on the flank, with Raheem Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke all making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
That said, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic may both depart Chelsea at the end of the season, freeing up space for another wide player.
Raphinha, who also has admirers in Newcastle United, still has over four years remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, although that is a largely irrelevant factor given that Barcelona are unable to price themselves out of potential sales.
Darren Plant
