Barcelona 'make contact' with Federico Chiesa

Barcelona are reported to be in contact with the agent of Juventus winger Federico Chiesa as the Catalans attempt to boost their attacking ranks in the cheapest way possible.

Chiesa has entered the final year of his contract in Turin and a renewal is not on the cards, forcing Juve's hand if they want to avoid losing the Euro 2020 winner as a free agent next summer.

Gianluca Di Marzio writes that Fali Ramadani, Chiesa's representative, is in touch with Barcelona officials to negotiate personal terms. After that, it will be down to the two clubs to come to an agreement over a transfer fee for a move to happen.

It is suggested that leaving Serie A is the better path for Chiesa, with the options for him to stay in Italy described as being "not very concrete".

Chiesa has not been Barcelona's first choice target for a winger this summer. They had been in hot pursuit of Athletic Club's Nico Williams, but financial limitations hampered their ability to pull it off, having encountered problems registering new arrival Dani Olmo as it is. Liverpool's Luis Diaz too proved far too expensive, while Kingsley Coman of Bayern Munich has also been linked.

But SPORT reports that Chiesa's contract situation has raised the possibility of signing the 26-year-old for as little as €14m (£11.9m). He might even accept a reduction on his existing €6m (£5.1m) net annual salary to move to Barcelona as long as the contract is three years in length.

Any move for Chiesa must be financially viable as per Barcelona's spending power under La Liga rules. Despite claims all summer about being close to returning to '1:1', which would allow the club to reinvest everything they make – as opposed to just a quarter as it stands, it hasn't happened yet.

Although happy to stay and a major reliable and major contributor last season, Ilkay Gundogan could now be sacrificed for the finances to work, with Clement Lenglet also tipped to leave after returning from two seasons on loan at Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Because he is aware of the potential complications even if a deal with Barcelona is totally agreed, SPORT claims Chiesa is also "studying offers" from Manchester United and Chelsea.

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