Chelsea are reportedly plotting a sensational summer swoop for Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, via Tom Olver of Metro.

Busquets has been a virtual ever-present for the Catalan giants since he made his debut for the club back in 2008, with solid and composed performances in the heart of midfield, giving Barca’s flair players the chance to shine.

He’s also proved the perfect foil for creative midfield partners Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta this term, so it’s little surprise Chelsea are chasing his signature.

However, the 27-year-old is currently tied down to a contract at the Camp Nou until 2019, with the option of an additional season on top of that.

That means that it’ll cost the Blues a pretty penny to convince Barca to send Busquets to west London, and it doesn’t look as if manager Luis Enrique will be willing to listen to offers anytime soon.

The Barcelona manager said Busquets is one of the most important members of his remarkable squad—via ESPN:

“He was one of the players who has played the most minutes this season, and that shows how important he is for us. He is a top player. I won’t hail him anymore because we already know his importance to the team.”

Persuading Busquets himself to leave could be rather tricky, too, as he has often voiced his love for Barca and his desire to stay at the club.

And although the midfielder did, in fact, open up to the possibility of leaving Barcelona during an interview with ESPN, Stamford Bridge wouldn’t be his planned destination:

I have always said there are just two people who could make me change my decision to stay at Barcelona. One of those two people is my wife. And she is happy here right now, so I don’t think there will be any issues on a personal level. On a sporting level, that other person is Guardiola.

It’s clear that I owe Pep a lot and I would be honoured to work with him again. He knows that Barcelona are my club and it’s his club as well. He knows it’s best for the club and for me to stay here and I don’t think he will ask me to leave Barcelona.

So, unless Busquets’ wife is a die-hard Chelsea fan, the Blues will have to shop around to find a new anchor in the heart of their midfield.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have reportedly joined the chase to land Lille striker Sofiane Boufal in the summer transfer window, per TalkSport, via Olver of Metro.

The Ligue 1 front man has scored seven goals this season—via WhoScored.com—and put together a string of impressive performances to make his way onto the Blues’ radar.

However, Chelsea aren’t alone in chasing Boufal, as Olver writes that Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Stoke, Southampton, Juventus, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in landing the Moroccan.

Chelsea are slowly but surely becoming a team to be feared in the Premier League, but if they can’t secure Champions League football for the 2016/17 season, luring players to Stamford Bridge could be a tough task.

Winning Europe’s elite competition could prove the Blues’ only ticket back into the big time, and their mission to do exactly that starts on Tuesday, when they take on the in-form PSG at Parc des Princes.

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