Chelsea have reportedly registered an interest in signing Barcelona youngster Alejandro Balde.
Speculation persists that frequent conversations are going on behind the scenes involving officials at both Stamford Bridge and Camp Nou.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso - both long-serving Chelsea players - are said to be attracting interest from the Catalan giants.
Furthermore, it has been suggested that both Spaniards are keen to take up the challenge in their homeland, leaving Barcelona to find a way of meeting Chelsea's respective valuations.
With Barcelona currently enduring financial difficulties, that could prove difficult, but it appears that Chelsea are ready to try to ease a transfer saga which could be prolonged throughout the summer.
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According to journalist Ferran Martinez, the Premier League giants have made contact with Barcelona regarding the potential addition of Balde.
Martinez says that the 18-year-old's name has come up in conversations between the respective parties and could be used as a bargaining chip.
The teenager was provided with two starts and five substitutes appearances during the current campaign, many of which came during the first half of the season.
However, he played the full 90 minutes as Barcelona earned a draw at Getafe on May 15, Balde helping his side record a clean sheet in the process.
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Balde's inclusion in that fixture suggests that Xavi has high hopes for the prospect and regards him as one for the future.
Nevertheless, generating a fee for the player would help the La Liga side in the short term, meaning that a proposal involving him may be considered.
Barcelona are said to be open to parting ways with Sergino Dest in a similar fashion, but the United States international would allegedly prefer to stay at Camp Nou.
On Thursday, it was reported that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was pushing to retain the services of Azpilicueta for another 12 months.
Darren Plant
