Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel wants to bring Ousmane Dembele to Stamford Bridge this summer, according to reports in Spain.
The 25-year-old is about to become a free agent, with his Barcelona contract expiring at the end of this month.
And Tuchel appears to be eyeing a reunion with the winger, who he worked with during his time in charge of Borussia Dortmund.
Per MARCA, the German is determined to add Dembele to the Blues' attacking ranks.
While the report adds that the France international would prefer to stay with Barca, but negotiating a new deal may prove problematic due to the club's well-documented financial difficulties.
Blaugrana boss Xavi has been clear from the very beginning of his tenure at the Camp Nou that he wants to keep hold of Dembele, describing his contract renewal as "a priority".
But, ultimately, money talks and, according to MailOnline, Chelsea could offer the 2018 World Cup winner a package which would effectively increase his salary by roughly £50,000 per week.
Dembele joined Barca from Dortmund for £135.5m in August 2017, making him the second-most expensive player in the world at the time.
A supreme creative presence, he provided a La Liga-high 13 assists last term - having only begun his season in November after returning from knee and hamstring problems.
And that is the one potential concern for Chelsea: in five years at Barca, Dembele has spent the equivalent of almost two years on the sidelines in total (source: Transfermarkt).
If he stays fit, though, the player once labelled "better than Neymar" could do some serious damage to Premier League defences.
