Xavi remains involved with the possible deals for Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso over moves to Barcelona this summer, according to reports. It comes as Thomas Tuchel looks to continue his squad transformation over the transfer window, with one month left before it shuts.
It has been a slower process than expected for the Blues so far though, with only a few exits and two signings made so far. This led to the manager complaining about his options heading into the first game of the season: "I cannot guarantee we will be ready [for the start of the season] in two weeks.
“It's the same players so why should anything change? We will see hopefully development but at the moment we have the same issues because we have the same players."
READ MORE: Chelsea eye 'last minute' £75m transfer swoop for Leicester duo amid Cristiano Ronaldo decision
Further additions are expected at Stamford Bridge as football.london understand talks are set to begin over a move for Leicester City's Wesley Fofana in the coming days. However, exits could also be on the cards, with a number of players linked with a move away from the club.
Two of those are Azpilicueta and Alonso, who are in their final year under contract in west London. football.london understands Chelsea are open to Marcos Alonso leaving, however Tuchel has discussed the potential of keeping Azpilicueta for another year at least.
Barcelona have been linked with the pair, however when asked if he was annoyed about the Spanish club's pursuit of the club captain, he replied: "Maybe a little bit. It's a tough question because I am not sure if I want to give Azpi what he wants, at some point it is about what we want."
The links don't stop there though, as Sport claim that Barca boss Xavi has continued contact with the defenders over a switch to the Nou Camp. The report also adds that an agreement is "close" as talks have taken place between Chelsea and Barcelona, with assurances that a deal is likely to follow.
The two clubs have gone up against each other in their attempts to sign a number of players this summer already, with battles for the likes of Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha all won by Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether they will get what they want when negotiating directly with the Blues, however.
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