Chelsea keen on poaching 16-year-old defender from Barcelona - contract talks opened

Barcelona have recruited well in central defence over recent years, but with reports that they may be open to selling one of their senior options, those behind will be hoping to force their way into consideration. With the Blaugrana’s finances as they are, they have been especially keen to bring through products from La Masia.

Meanwhile Sport say that a number of clubs are hoping to steal in at the supply line stage. With big clubs from around Europe watching Barca Atletic, central defender Pau Cubarsi will have no doubt caught the eye of a few. It was reported back in October that Chelsea were one of those clubs keen on Cubarsi, who stands out for his reading of the game and distribution.

The Catalan daily note that Chelsea are still interested in Cubarsi, and in a bid to ward off interest from Stamford Bridge, have opened talks with his agent over a new deal. The 16-year-old is still tied to the club until 2026, but they may want to assure their position or perhaps raise his release clause, which is rumoured to be around €15m.

Cubarsi is highly-rated at Can Barca, and has played the majority of games in central defence under Rafa Marquez in the third division, in spite of his age. While he missed a month of action for the under-17 World Cup with Spain, Cubarsi has otherwise been a regular under Marquez, and has made the bench for Xavi Hernandez on several occasions.