Barcelona edge closer to signing Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen
By Mathew Cohen
FC Barcelona has moved a step closer to completing a deal to bring Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen to the club, Sportwitness reported on Tuesday. According to multiple reports out of Spain, the Danish center back has given the ‘verbal okay’ to join Barcelona once his contract with the Blues expires at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Catalans upon his departure from Chelsea. While his signature is yet to be obtained by the Blaugranes, Christensen and his entourage have confirmed the player’s intention to complete a deal that would bring him to the Camp Nou.
Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the validity of these reports in a recent Tweet, mentioning that while direct talks between the player and Barcelona are in place, Bayern Munich has since entered the race for the center back’s signature.
Before sealing a transfer deal with Barcelona, Christensen is scheduled to attend a final meeting with Chelsea, during which the Blues are expected to attempt to convince him to remain at the club by agreeing to contract renewal.
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Barcelona initially reached out to Christensen last summer to see if the Danish international would be interested in moving to the La Liga club. The back and forth talks between Christensen and Barcelona aggravated Chelsea, with club manager Thomas Tuchel deciding to drop Christensen from the squad for a few games.
According to Tuchel, Chelsea remains hopeful that the center back will remain with the club. He offered the following update on the matter: “We are waiting a long time now for confirmation. It’s on Andreas to act how he acts on the pitch off the pitch and walk the talk. He tells us he loves Chelsea, that he wants to stay and be a big part, because he is a big part of a big club. I think he is the perfect fit, he is not done yet here, his career here is not finished.”