Barcelona rejected Chelsea’s offer of a swap deal involving Christopher Nkunku, according to reports in Spain.
Chelsea have been open to offers for Nkunku this summer as the French forward has struggled to secure a regular role at Chelsea since his £52 million move from RB Leipzig in 2023.
The 27-year-old has attracted plenty of interest with Arsenal and Bayern Munich both making enquiries in the January transfer window, while Manchester United have also considered a move this summer after failing with a loan bid earlier this year.
Chelsea have also dropped their asking price for Nkunku from £65 million to £43m.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea have also used Nkunku as a makeweight in their bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez.
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However, Barcelona turned down the chance to sign Nkunku and opted to sign Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United instead.
Fermin has also been linked with a move to United, with reports in Spain claiming that Ruben Amorim’s side are ready to pay a €70m (£61m) fee.
However, Fermin is intent on staying at Barcelona, while the club’s head coach, Hansi Flick, does not want the 22-year-old to leave.
Nkunku, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future and Enzo Maresca did not rule out the prospect of still having the 27-year-old in his squad for the start of the new Premier League season.
‘If Christo is here with us, it is because we think he can help us and he can be with us even next season,’ Maresca said during the Club World Cup.
‘But as you said, there are many speculations, not just about Christo, about many players.
‘And then if something is going to happen, I don’t know because we said many times when the transfer window is open, anything can happen in terms of players that can arrive or players that can leave.’
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