Chelsea transfer news: Barcelona want to sign three Blues stars as free agents
Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta are out of contract next summer
Barcelona are keeping tabs on three Chelsea defenders who are set to become free agents next summer, according to reports.
The contracts of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are due to expire on 30 June 2022.
Chelsea have not yet given up hope of persuading all three players to commit their futures to the club.
But little progress has been made in recent months and some fans are beginning to fear that each of the trio will depart at the end of the campaign.
Rudiger is perhaps the least likely to still be a Chelsea player at the start of next season.
The Daily Mail writes that the Germany international could become one of the highest-paid defenders in world football if he leaves Stamford Bridge.
Rudiger currently earns £100,000 per week but he can expect to quadruple his wages if he joins Real Madrid or PSG.
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But it is not only those two clubs who are interested in signing the former Roma stopper.
According to the Daily Mirror, Rudiger is also admired by Barcelona - as are two of his Chelsea team-mates.
The Blaugrana are strapped for cash and are unlikely to have much money to spend next summer.
But Xavi Hernandez is still keen to strengthen his squad and Barcelona will therefore target free agents.
Rudiger, Christensen and Azpilicueta all fit the bill in that regard, and the Catalan outfit are considering moves for all three players.
They are also keeping tabs on Adnan Januzaj, whose deal at Real Sociedad expires at the end of the campaign.
Barcelona will probably need to finish in the top four of La Liga to entice players like Christensen and Rudiger.
They crashed out of the Champions League this week after finishing third in their group.
There is work to do domestically too, with Barcelona currently sitting seventh in the La Liga standings ahead of their meeting with Osasuna on Sunday.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).