Chelsea ‘willing to accept Barcelona swap’ involving Hakim Ziyech

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Chelsea are willing to complete a blockbuster swap deal with Barcelona that would see Hakim Ziyech finally leave the Premier League club, according to reports in Spain. The Blues want to sign Franck Kessie from the La Liga outfit and are ‘open’ to a player-exchange agreement. 

Once again, Barca need to sell before they can buy due to their financial position. Chelsea plan to take advantage of the situation by signing midfielder Kessie. 

The west Londoners want to strengthen their midfield despite elevating their spending this season to around £400m over the last few weeks. Chelsea could use the deal for Kessie to free outcast winger Ziyech from their ranks. 

Barca have a long-term interest in the Morocco World Cup star and attempted to beat Chelsea to the deal that saw him move to Stamford Bridge from Ajax in 2020. La Blaugrana have since been linked with the 29-year-old in several other transfer windows. 

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According to Spanish publication Sport, Chelsea would be open to discussing a swap deal involving Ziyech and Kessie. Ziyech has made contact with Barca and Chelsea would be willing to make the move happen if it means they can sign Kessie in return. 

The Blues will prioritise improving their midfield after signing four attackers and a defender already this January. Noni Madueke has been added to Chelsea’s lengthy list of new arrivals this campaign, joining David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile in joining this month alone. 

Chelsea face a mini midfield crisis over the next few months and new signings are necessary. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are both out of contract at the end of the season, while talks over a new deal for Mason Mount have stalled 18 months before the England midfielder’s terms expire. 

A move for Brighton ace Moises Caicedo remains active, with reports claiming that a £55m bid has been turned down by the South Coast side. Brighton’s healthy financial position means they do not need to sell, while it is likely that they do not want to lose another key individual to former boss Graham Potter’s side. 

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Potter was coy when asked if some players would depart before the end of the transfer window. The 48-year-old also insisted that there would not be many more additions. 

The Chelsea boss said: “You’ve got to analyse the squad and analyse where it’s at. Sometimes it is adding and sometimes it’s moving out players. That is on a case-by-case basis and we’ll look at it as and when.”

He added: “I don’t think there’s going to be too many [new signings] to be honest. I’ve got no complaints about the squad. The January window is very complex.”

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