Barcelona eyeing moves for two Chelsea midfielders on free transfers

Chelsea travel to Italy on Tuesday to face AC Milan in the fourth round of Champions League group stage fixtures. 

The Blues’ European campaign started dismally with a defeat to Dinamo Zagreb and a draw at home to RB Salzburg, but a convincing 3-0 victory over Milan last time has moved Graham Potter’s side up to second in Group E.

Potter’s side are also in good form domestically, having followed up their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace with a convincing 3-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday.

The ex-Brighton man made several changes to his side ahead of that clash with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling rested, but they will likely return to the starting 11 on Tuesday.

One player that will miss out once again, though, is N’Golo Kante, with Potter confirming that the midfielder has had an adverse reaction to his existing hamstring injury.

The Frenchman has been hampered by injuries over the last couple of years and, with less than 12 months remaining on his contract, it remains to be seen whether or not he will stay put in the capital.

According to The Evening Standard, the 2018 World Cup winner is being monitored by Spanish giants Barcelona, who are considering a surprise double move for both Kante and his Chelsea teammate Jorginho.

Both midfielders are set to be out of contract next summer, and could sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club from January.

Kante has already missed two months of the season through injury

It is claimed that Chelsea are open to extending the stay of both players, although they are reluctant to match Kante’s current £290,000-per-week wages on a new deal due to his poor injury record of late.

The France international joined Chelsea from Leicester City in the summer of 2016 following his Premier League title win with the Foxes, and he repeated the feat the following season with The Blues.

He has been regarded as one of the division’s best midfielders for several years now, but he has missed a significant number of matches through injury over the past two full seasons.

He has also played just twice so far this term, with a hamstring injury ruling him out since Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August.

The 31-year-old has attracted interest from French champions Paris Saint-Germain, although it is suggested that his preference would be to stay put in London.

Jorginho, meanwhile, followed former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri from Naples to Stamford Bridge in 2018 and has since made 199 appearances for the club.

He has, however, been criticised for his performances this season, having made mistakes on a number of occasions.

The Italy international has been linked with several Italian clubs including Juventus over the past 12 months, but it remains to be seen whether or not that option will be available to him next year.