Chelsea are preparing to make a major move for Atletico de Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios in January, with manager Xabi Alonso viewing the Spain international as the ideal replacement for Enzo Fernandez. Reports in England suggest the London club could offer €100m for the 23-year-old.
The need to strengthen Chelsea’s midfield follows Fernandez’s departure in the final moments of the transfer window, combined with the collapse of their attempt to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco.
Monaco refused at the last minute to allow the Senegal midfielder to leave, leaving Chelsea without the alternative they had hoped to secure. The situation created a significant gap in the Blues’ midfield plans.
Chelsea had already given the green light for Fernandez to join Manchester City. The club believed it would be unethical to withdraw its approval at the final stage of the transfer, even though doing so left them without a replacement.
The London club will now attempt to address that problem during the winter transfer window. According to reports from England, Barrios is the preferred candidate to fill the role left by Fernandez, and Chelsea are willing to make a substantial financial commitment to try to persuade Atletico to sell.
However, Atletico are unlikely to welcome the approach. Barrios has become a key part of Diego Simeone’s midfield, and the Spanish coach is expected to resist any attempt to lose one of his most important players midway through the season.
Barrios’ contract contains a €500m release clause, meaning Chelsea’s proposed €100m offer would fall well short of the automatic figure required to force a transfer. The size of that clause also underlines Atletico’s determination to retain the midfielder, although Chelsea’s willingness to invest heavily could still test the Spanish club’s resolve.
Last season was regarded as the campaign in which Barrios established himself and confirmed his status at Atletico. His progress was interrupted by a hamstring injury, which prevented him from featuring during the final part of the season and also ruled him out of the World Cup.
Alonso believes Barrios has the qualities required to succeed at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea manager also considers him the perfect partner for Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo, with the pair seen as capable of combining physical strength with creativity in the centre of the pitch.
Chelsea’s interest therefore reflects both an immediate recruitment need and Alonso’s preferred solution for rebuilding the midfield. The club initially expected to cope with Fernandez’s move to Manchester City after failing to complete the deal for Camara, but Barrios has now emerged as the player they most want to bring in.
Atletico’s position, the midfielder’s importance to Simeone and his €500m release clause mean Chelsea face a difficult negotiation. Even so, the proposed €100m offer shows the scale of the club’s intention to make Barrios their principal target when the January market opens.
