Chelsea have been described as the 'most active' side in pursuit of Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann this summer.
While Barcelona would ideally want to keep Griezmann, club officials are open to offloading the Frenchman as part of their efforts to re-sign Lionel Messi, whose new contract at Camp Nou is being held up until Barcelona can get below their salary cap.
Rumours of a return to Atletico Madrid have been rife, but according to Sport (via Sport Witness), Barcelona are hopeful of sending Griezmann to a side outside of Spain, and that's where Chelsea come in.
The Blies are said to have made the biggest push to sign Griezmann in the past few days, with the west London club keen on landing the 30-year-old on loan for the 2021/22 season.
Barcelona would prefer a permanent move but have accepted that's not going to happen, and they're so desperate to cut their wages that they would be happy to let Griezmann go on loan, just as long as his buyer agrees to pay 100% of his wages.
Just how much that would cost Chelsea is unclear. With Messi no longer on the books at Barcelona, Griezmann is Barcelona's top earner, but reports have butted heads over how much he actually earns. Some sources have said it's close to a whopping £800,000-a-week, although the Daily Mail recently put the weekly figure at £294,000.
This news comes a few days after it was revealed by the Daily Star that Barcelona were prepared to offer Griezmann to Chelsea, who they know are in pursuit of a new striker this summer.
The final decision will be left with Griezmann. According to La Vanguardia, he is well aware of Barcelona's situation and is no longer against the idea of leaving Camp Nou if the right offer arrives.
A return to Atletico Madrid is thought to be his priority, although a switch to the Premier League, where Manchester City have also been suggested as potential suitors, does intrigue the Frenchman.
Chelsea are pursuing Erling Haaland this summer and 90min understands the Blues are readying a huge offer for the Borussia Dortmund man, but the obvious difficulties of such a deal will have the Blues considering alternatives as well.
Source : 90min