Chelsea move for Barcelona outcast moves step closer with loan deal mooted
Chelsea have reportedly stepped up their bid to land Barcelona midfield outcast Miralem Pjanic in a loan deal ahead of PSG this summer.
The 31-year-old has endured a miserable debut campaign at the Nou Camp, having joined the Catalan giants in a whopping £60million transfer last summer, with Arthur Melo heading in the opposite direction to Juventus for £75m.
But after just 11 months at Barca, Pjanic could now be heading for the Nou Camp exit door.
According to French news outlet Le10Sport, Pjanic has been offered to several big clubs around Europe ahead of a predicted summer exit.
The report adds that the Blues and PSG are both looking at the option of a season-long loan, with contact already made.
Le10Sport goes on to claim that Pjanic doesn’t want to stay at the Nou Camp and be on the bench. However, there is a potential stumbling block on the horizon.
Pjanic, who has a staggering £365m buyout clause in his contract, has three years left on his current deal. He also reportedly earns a whopping £270,000-a-week, which could present an issue for any club wanting him.
The midfielder has made 18 LaLiga appearances for Barca this but only six of them have been starts. In 29 games in total he’s not even contributed a goal or an assist.
Despite those alarming stats, both Chelsea and PSG are both expected to pursue a deal when the season ends.
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Two opportunities open up for Giroud
Meanwhile, one of the intermediaries representing Olivier Giroud has touted two possible Premier League destinations if he leaves Chelsea this summer.
Giroud is out of contract at the end of the season and after pushing for an exit for a while, it seems unlikely he will renew. After 11 goals this season despite only making 12 starts, he will have many suitors. The Frenchman still has something to contribute at the age of 34.
A foreign exit has seemed the most likely option for Giroud. There is plenty of interest in him from Italy, for example.
But Wednesday’s European papers suggested that he had offers from three English clubs. Now, an intermediary has namechecked two of those possible options.
According to Vincenzo Morabito, West Ham and Crystal Palace could offer Giroud the chance to stay in London.
He told Calciomercato.it: “Now Olivier has been called up by France, confirming the esteem that [Didier] Deschamps has for him, and he is a player that can join a new club in July.
“It is also true that Chelsea would gladly keep him. There are clubs in England that are interested, like Crystal Palace and West Ham.
“In short, he is a player that has a lot of market. For some reason he has never managed to go to Italy. Even with Juventus we had a negotiation in the last transfer window, where then [Alvaro] Morata arrived.
“It could be that in the end Olivier comes to Italy, but his future is tied to many events. Now he will be focused on the European championship where he wants to do well like he did at the World Cup.”
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