Barcelona president John Laporta has sent Chelsea a message after winning the race for Raphinha and provided an update on the potential signings of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
Chelsea and Barcelona have been largely intertwined with their business this summer, with both sides battling it out for signings.
The Spanish club have come out on top to this stage, they have prized away signings from the Blues and have left Thomas Tuchel’s side in a difficult position.
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Raphinha was a step away from Chelsea earlier in the window after a transfer fee was agreed with Leeds United, but the Catalan side swooped in and the Brazilian winger opted to join them.
Speaking to CBS Sports on the Raphinha deal, he said: “Not only did he wait for us, but in terms of salary, he accepted the new wage structure.
"We are very grateful and I think players who do this will be proud of their decision and enjoy Barcelona.”
The most recent transfer saga has surrounded Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, again Chelsea believed they had ‘won the race’ for the centre-back but they have lost out.
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Barcelona announced on Friday evening the signing of the Frenchman who penned down a five-year-contract at the Nou Camp.
He will link up with Danish defender Andreas Christensen who signed for Xavi Hernandez’s side earlier in the window on a free transfer from the west London outfit.
Going the other way, Chelsea were linked with Ousmane Dembele at the beginning of the summer, but he decided to continue at Barcelona and took a massive pay cut.
The Blues are lacking depth, and while Tuchel is hoping to acquire a further four signings this summer, they have lost out on many of their targets.
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With the players they have already lost out on, he will not want his side to be weakened any further, but the Spanish side have their eyes on two more Chelsea defenders.
Both Azpilicueta and Alonso have just one-year remaining on their contracts at Stamford Bridge and could be on the way out.
When asked whether he expected Barcelona to complete the signings of Azpilicueta and Alonso, Laporta responded: “They are under contract at Chelsea and we respect this as well as the new owner.
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“I don’t want to talk about players who belong to other teams.”
He added: “I respect Cesar and Marcos as footballers, they are very, very good players.
“They show their quality and talent at Chelsea. But I don’t want to talk about them as a matter of respect for Chelsea.”
While Kalidou Koulibaly has been added to bolster the backline, the Blues will not want to be losing the experience both Azpilicueta and Alonso have without replacing them.
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Club captain Azpilicueta would be the more impactful loss of the two, despite his age, he is valuable and his versatility is crucial.
Topics: Joan Laporta, Chelsea, Barcelona, Football, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso
Matthew Debono