Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios, with two players potentially set to leave Stamford Bridge as well.

Much has been made of how much Chelsea have spent since the Todd Boehly-led consortium took over the club in May 2022, with the west London outfit forking out more than £2bn (€2.4bn, $2.6bn) on players to date.

While they currently have a settled midfield duo of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Blues team-mate Enzo Fernandez has been linked with a transfer exit as he struggles to find his feet at the Premier League side.

That may have led to links with Atletico’s Barrios, who has also been credited with interest from Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.

Indeed, CaughtOffside states the 21-year-old is one of Chelsea’s top targets in midfield and although the La Liga team don’t want to lose him, there is a feeling he could be signed for around €60m (£50m, $65m).

The report adds that the Blues will listen to offers for fringe midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, both 21, in the January transfer window. Whether offers for the pair come their way remain to be seen.

Midfielder wants Chelsea stay

One thing that may throw a spanner in the works is that Casadei wants to get more game time under head coach Maresca – someone he is a big fan of.

On Thursday, he told Chelsea’s website: “I really like him [Maresca]. He likes to play with the ball, and he has different ideas from all the rest of the managers. He has his own ideas, and I think this is very important for us because he can drive us in the right direction. He is very clear, he has been clear from the moment he came here, and everyone understood him from the first day.

“It’s a big opportunity. This year, we have so many games and I think everyone has been involved so far, and everyone will be involved. So everyone has to be ready for the opportunity and the Conference League is a very good competition, so I’m sure we can do very well.”

In early October, Maresca also complimented the former Leicester City loanee, who spent part of last season at the Foxes during their Championship title run.

“Cesare played very good against Barrow and played even better against Gent. I’m very happy with the way he’s playing. I had Cesare last year [on loan at Leicester] and he was playing in a different position. This year we are using him like a holding midfielder,” said Maresca.

“On the ball, he is improving a lot, he played one-touch most of the time so we are very happy. It’s the same for the rest, there are many things he can do better, but the good thing is he is going in the right direction.”

Although Maresca said Chukwuemeka is a “very good player”, it would have been “better for him to leave” and get regular minutes elsewhere earlier this season. Ultimately, though, both are fringe players – with the pair chalking up five appearances between them this season.

Chelsea not given up on striker

Chelsea are reportedly targeting FC Porto Samu Omorodion, mere months after seeing an August deal collapse at the final hurdle.

In the end, the 6ft 4in forward left Atletico Madrid for the Portuguese giants but the Blues still want him, as do Manchester United.

Maresca’s side are reportedly vying with the Red Devils for Sporting Lisbon’s prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres – who could be available for a bargain fee.

Reports suggest the 26-year-old could be made available for £63m (€75m/$81m) next summer, despite having a release clause around the £100m (€120m, $130m) mark. 

Finally, Wolves full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri is reportedly of ‘major interest’ to both Chelsea and Liverpool, with the 23-year-old’s contract running until 2026.

The Reds are said to have long-term concerns about left-back Andrew Robertson and Marc Cucurella has had to settle for a place on the bench at Chelsea, with Reece James taking his spot in the team of late.

IN PROFILE: Who is Pablo Barrios?

Born in Spain’s capital in 2003, Barrios spent six years in the Real Madrid academy before moving to Atletico’s youth system in 2017 for a further five years of development.

During the 2021-22 season, Barrios was heavily involved as Atleti’s Under-19s reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League. For example, in one game, he scored a brace and provided an assist against Real Madrid.

For the following campaign, he was promoted to Atleti’s reserve team – but not long later, he would be promoted again to the first team. Indeed, he made his La Liga debut on October 29, 2022 – just 56 days after his Segunda Division debut for the B team.

Over that winter, the midfielder scored in the second and third rounds of the Copa del Rey and extended his contract, representing his permanent installation into the first team.

After helping Spain’s Under-23s win the men’s Olympic football tournament in 2024, Barrios was also awarded the number eight shirt by his club, on the back of a season in which he played 35 times in all competitions.

Barrios now has 50 La Liga appearances to his name, although he is yet to score in the Spanish top tier. That said, he has been playing in a deeper role, though he is a reliable carrier of the ball and not just your typical, Diego Simeone-approved dogged midfielder.

But Barrios is learning plenty from the senior players around him, citing club captain Koke as his “role model both on and off the field.” All he is taking in will equip him for a solid career as a well-rounded midfield talent.