hellea co-owner Todd Boehly was in the photo on arrival Barcelona on Thursday night amid reports of crunch transfer talks with the LaLiga club.
Possible deals for Frenkie de Jong† Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are all touted as the Blues want to rebuild Thomas Tuchel’s squad†
Spanish outlet Jijantes filmed Boehly, 48, leaving the airport in Barcelona and chuckling as he was questioned about possible deals, especially for Dutch midfielder De Jong.
A later clip from COPE showed Boehly walking into a restaurant and when asked about transfer talks, he innocently replied, “We’re here to eat.”
Barcelona club president Joan Laporta soon entered the exclusive Via Veneto restaurant in the center of the city, followed by club chiefs Jordi Cruijff and Mateu Alemany.
Boehly cheerfully left the talks later in the evening, telling reporters “great meal, good food”. He was quoted in the Spanish media as having reached an agreement with the Spanish club during the talks.
Reports in Spain suggest the player would rather move to Chelsea than Manchester United, who have reportedly turned down a £52million offer from Barcelona.
It is also alleged that De Jong wants to recover the unpaid wages pushed to the back of his contract as part of an agreement to help the Catalans’ battered finances before he leaves.
Two players who could go the other way are Azpilicueta and Alonso. The Chelsea captain still has a one-year contract due to an option for an automatic extension from the club, but can still leave.
Barcelona would be interested in signing the pair with already landed former Blues central defender Andreas Christensenwhose contract at Stamford Bridge expired last month.