Chelsea are plotting a summer swoop to sign Barcelona’s midfielder Marc Casado, as per Fichajes.
Casado has rapidly developed into one of La Liga’s most exciting young midfielders since stepping up to Barcelona’s senior side. The 22-year-old made his debut in November 2022 but truly made his mark during the 2023/24 season, thriving under Hansi Flick.
He went on to feature 33 times across all competitions, returning five goals and one assist — a strong output for a player still finding his feet at the top level.
However, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong firmly established as first-choice picks, as well as Eric Garcia occasionally being deployed in midfield, Casado’s playing time has reduced.
He has featured in just 860 minutes in LaLiga and 195 in the Champions League and was an unused sub in the recent defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
These reduced minutes have sparked keen interest in his signature from several clubs, with the youngster expected to explore other options to secure regular playing time.
Now, according to Fichajes, Chelsea have set their sights on Casado as a potential option to reinforce their squad in the summer.
Midfield depth
The Blues boss, Liam Rosenior, views the midfielder as a reliable backup to Moises Caicedo, while the club’s sporting directors are exploring fielding both players in the middle of the park to form a dynamic midfield pivot, according to the report.
The Spanish outlet adds that Chelsea are looking to take advantage of Barcelona’s need to reduce their wage bill to swoop for Casado next summer as they look to reinforce their squad.
Chelsea already have an array of midfielders in their squad, including Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia, and Dario Essugo.
However, they may do with additional depth, as incessant injuries to Lavia and Essugo have seen right-back Reece James play in defensive midfield, while Malo Gusto has occasionally alternated into the same role in-game despite always starting at fullback.
Hence, while he’s expected to cost well above his £17m Transfermarkt valuation, a move for Casado makes sense, as he can offer not just a reliable presence but immense qualities to become one of the standout midfielders in the league.
