Chelsea transfer round-up: Barca eye Jorginho swap deal, Victor Moses to leave

With the FA Cup and  Champions League  finals on the horizon, transfers might not be at the forefront of  Thomas Tuchel’s  mind at the moment.

This could be a crucially important summer for him, however, as he gets his first chance to make his mark on a team assembled under his managerial predecessors.

While he has two huge games to prepare for – not to mention potentially tricky Premier League fixtures against Arsenal, Leicester and Aston Villa – he will have started to plan his off-field activities for the months ahead.

As well as identifying players that can help to sustain a Premier League title challenge next season, Tuchel and the  Chelsea  hierarchy will need to decide which squad members they intend to move on.

Judging by this week’s transfer gossip, there could be as many departures as arrivals this summer.

Here’s Wednesday’s Chelsea transfer round-up with all the latest developments.

Barcelona want Jorginho swap deal

After a slow start for Miralem Pjanic at Camp Nou, Barcelona are looking to offload the former Juventus midfielder.

What’s more, given their strained finances and the broader impact of the pandemic, they have lined him up for a swap deal and would ideally like Jorginho to head the other way.

That’s according to Catalan outlet Sport, with Barca apparently keen to bring in a player who can compete with Sergio Busquets.

It’s unclear whether Chelsea are willing to let Jorginho go, though he has said that he’s happy in west London. He has two years left on his current contract, which means he will have to make a decision on his future soon.

Pjanic has already been involved in one swap deal at Barca, having traded places with Arthur Melo when he left Juventus last June. Inter Milan are also interested in Pjanic but, again, they may look to offer one of their players in exchange.

Victor Moses to join Spartak Moscow

After loans to Fenerbahce, Inter Milan and Spartak Moscow in quick succession, Victor Moses could finally leave Stamford Bridge for good this summer.

As reported by Goal, Spartak’s win against FC Khimki on Monday evening should ensure that he makes his move to Russia permanent.

Moses has a clause in his loan deal which dictates that, if Spartak qualify for the Champions League next season, they are obliged to pay a £4m release clause to sign him.

After their win against Khimki, Spartak are now second in the Russian Premier League and three points ahead of rivals Lokomotiv Moscow with one game left to play. With a far superior goal difference to Lokomotiv, they are now almost certain to finish in the Champions League places.

Moses has impressed at Spartak and they are happy to sign him permanently. He has made 18 appearances for them this term, scoring three goals.

Chelsea teenager to leave for Belgium

Having come through Chelsea’s academy ranks, teenage forward Marcel Lewis is closing in on a move to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.

The Telegraph  reports that Lewis, 19, has agreed a four-year deal with the newly promoted Belgian Pro League side.

Huddersfield and Derby were monitoring his development, while there was also interest from Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

Lewis has been tempted to Belgium by the promise of competing for a starting spot. Union have existing links with English football, having been bought by Brighton owner Tony Bloom in 2018.