Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele this summer and the Frenchman could form a dream duo with international teammate Christopher Nkunku at Stamford Bridge.
Could Chelsea sign Dembele?
Calcio Mercato reported last month that both Chelsea and Newcastle United could bid for the former Borussia Dortmund man in the summer transfer window after they were alerted to his £44m release clause at the Nou Camp.
Chelsea were heavily linked with signing the pacy winger in the summer of 2022 but were dealt a blow when he agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Catalan side.
Despite him producing some impressive performances in Xavi's side so far this campaign as they look destined to win the La Liga title, Barcelona's financial difficulties suggest that a summer move could still be on the cards a month after those initial reports.
How has Dembele performed at Barcelona this season?
Dembele has arguably never lived up to his price tag with Barcelona having joined the club in an eye-watering deal worth £96.8m back in 2017, as the Spanish giants sought a replacement for the outgoing Neymar.
It was easy to see why Barcelona wanted to sign the 20-year-old France international, given he had contributed ten goals and 22 assists in just 50 appearances for Dortmund, but injuries and poor form have plagued his six years at the Nou Camp.
Now 25, the electric wide man, who was tied as the fastest man in the Champions League earlier this season alongside January signing Mykhailo Mudryk, has notched 40 goals and 41 assists in 178 matches for Blaugrana, but his best performances have arguably come in the last two campaigns.
After re-establishing himself as a regular under Xavi, Dembele popped up with an impressive one goal and 13 assists in just 21 La Liga appearances last season, earning a superb 7.46 average rating from WhoScored.
This season has seen the ambidextrous winger hit five goals and five assists in just 18 league outings, with a 7.23 rating from WhoScored, which is better than anyone in Chelsea's squad, emphasising the quality and attacking output he could offer at Stamford Bridge.
Spanish football expert Terry Gibson lauded Dembele in an interview with the Daily Mail ahead of France's World Cup quarter-final tie against England in December, claiming that "Dembele can be just as effective as Mbappe. He can be unplayable at times."
Could Dembele form a partnership with Nkunku at Chelsea?
Chelsea have already confirmed the summer addition of RB Leipzig sensation Christopher Nkunku, and given the Frenchman's impressive speed and goalscoring record, the Blues could easily find themselves with two world-class wing options at Stamford Bridge next season.
The former PSG man can play anywhere in the attack and is as equally adept at creating chances as he is at putting them away, with 64 goals and 52 assists to his name in his time with the Bundesliga outfit.
This season alone, he has scored 17, suggesting that with Dembele's creativity, they could be quite the duo in west London.
The prospect of having two potentially world-class wingers in Nkunku and Dembele would surely help to solve Chelsea's woes in front of goal, so Todd Boehly should definitely be looking at signing the Barcelona star this summer.
