According to reports, one of Mauricio Pochettino’s priorities this summer after joining Chelsea is to sign Ansu Fati from FC Barcelona.
The Premier League club have been searching for a new permanent manager since Graham Potter was sacked at the start of April.
Frank Lampard was subsequently brought back to the club on an interim basis. He may have hoped that he could make the full-time job his by masterminding a positive end to the season, but he has only guided Chelsea to one win in his seven games in charge.
In recent weeks, Pochettino has emerged as the most likely candidate to join Chelsea after they decided to look past the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique.
Pochettino has been out of work since leaving PSG last summer and he has a major job on his hands at Chelsea. They have spent over £500m on new players this season but they are currently 11th in the Premier League.
A report from The Daily Mail on Monday evening claimed ‘Pochettino wants a new goalkeeper, midfielder and striker to kick-start his reign at Stamford Bridge’. They added.
‘The former Tottenham boss ideally wants to add players with Premier League pedigree.
‘However, Pochettino will join Chelsea on the understanding that the club’s first concern will be to offload a number of players in order to make the squad more manageable for their new boss.
‘There is also a will to reduce costs to ensure the club stay inside Financial Fair Play regulations.’
Yet a separate report from Spanish outlet Sport claims Pochettino has ‘very clear’ plans to rebuild Chelsea’s squad over the coming months.
The Argentinian ‘really likes’ Fati as he thinks the Barcelona youngster is a ‘very interesting’ player for the Premier League.
The 18-year-old has already played 104 times for Barcelona at senior level, but he has only started 11 times in La Liga this season.
Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal have also been linked with the £90m-rated teenager, who has been urged to leave Barcelona by his father.
“It bothers me that Ansu plays so little. We’re talking about a player that is a Spain international and came from La Masia. He deserves much more than that.
“I don’t know why Xavi does not play Ansu. He must have his reasons. Ansu is not disgusted with him as Xavi was always his idol. But me… I am very angry as a father.
“Mateu Alemany tells me that Ansu is part of the club’s heritage. As a father, I have told Ansu that it is better for him to leave. But Ansu has told me that he does not agree with me on this. He wants to stay.
“If it was up to me, I would leave Barcelona tomorrow. I told Ansu that if the situation didn’t change, we would have to leave, but he tells me that I’m wrong.”
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