Chelsea handed major boost in race to sign Barcelona youngster

Chelsea have been handed a major boost in the race to sign Xavier Mbuyamba after the highly-rated youngster was told he was surplus to requirements by Barcelona.

The Catalan giants signed the 18-year-old from Dutch side MVV Maastricht last year and although he has impressed, Barcelona will not be offering him a new contract and he will be free to leave in the summer, according to Sport.

Juventus had been exploring the the possibility of a swap deal involving their young Senegalese striker Kaly Sene, but with Mbuyamba’s contract set to expire that transfer is now dead in the water.

Earlier this month the teenager’s agent revealed Barcelona’s refusal to give any sort of clarity over his client’s future represented a huge source of frustration, particularly given the lengths Chelsea had gone to in order to convince Mbuyamba to move to Stamford Bridge.

‘Chelsea have the best credentials. Of course, we discussed this extensively last year,’ Carlos Barros told VI.

‘They gave a fantastic presentation. There is a unique football atmosphere there. During lunch you are immediately with the first-team players and the club has outlined a very ambitious plan for Xavier.

‘They really think that in one to two years, he can be a starter in the first team. Frank Lampard has of course already proven that he is not afraid to start young players.

‘Being in the starting line-up at Chelsea at the age of twenty would of course be great.

‘The ambiguity [at Barcelona] is enormous. A new presidential election is coming and it could be that many new people will join the board. Politically it is very restless and sporting wise, there is a lot of division.’

Follow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.