Barcelona have announced a sale of 10% of their LaLiga TV rights to Sixth Street for the next 25 years.
The deal is worth £230m, with the club being able to receive around £178m instantly.
The news is huge for their hopes in the transfer market, with them seeming to receive money necessary to confirm moves for some of their top targets.
This also spells real danger for Chelsea, with the two clubs sharing interest in Raphinha and Jules Kounde.
The Brazilian in particular looked set for a move to Stamford Bridge, with the Blues agreeing a fee with Leeds United for his services.
While it had been clear the Catalan side were the 25-year-old’s preferred destination, Chelsea’s reported scheduled meeting with his agent, Deco, today was set as the opportunity for the club to convince them of the project in West London.
However, this influx of cash could see the La Liga side conjure up a deal that Premier League survivors Leeds will accept.
Barcelona announcement danger for Chelsea
The move would see Chelsea miss out on a key target, who Tuchel was hoping to add to his side’s attack next season.
The move for Kounde has actually been in the making for a lot longer than the one for Raphinha, after a deal collapsed a year ago.
Again, Barcelona made their interest known late in proceedings, although it had been said that financially they would’ve struggled to match any offer Chelsea made to Sevilla.
With that being said, they could turn their attentions back to the French international after this recent cash injection, as Xavi’s side look to close the gap on Real Madrid next season.
It has to be said it’s unclear where exactly the new money will go in terms of transfers, with the list of players on Barcelona’s wishlist extensive.
The Catalan club are also reportedly heavy favourites for another Chelsea target, Robert Lewandowski. The Poland international may be seen as a priority to secure first, potentially still leaving the door open for the views.
Overall though, losing out on both targets to a weakened Barcelona side would really hurt the beginning of the Todd Boehly era – putting fears among the fan base that the club are not on the same level as they were under Roman Abramovich.
And the news that Barca now theoretically have more money to spend will cause real concern around Stamford Bridge today.
