Barcelona chiefs Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff were both in attendance at Stamford Bridge for ’s quarter-final defeat to .
The Blues gave a spirited showing for roughly an hour and could have pulled a goal back but for some profligate finishing, though their hopes were dashed by Rodrygo in the 58th minute before the Brazilian .
Barca director of football Alemany and sports director Cruyff were both in the stands on Tuesday evening, though their presence was not simply to watch the match.
According to , the duo were at Stamford Bridge to cast an eye over N’Golo Kante, who they have long been linked with making a move for, while they are also interested in two other Chelsea players.
The 32-year-old defensive midfielder, who has missed most of the season through injury, is out of contract in the summer when he can leave on a free transfer.
Chelsea have been in talks with Kante for some time over a new two-year extension and negotiations have gone well, with positivity from all sides that the Frenchman will put pen to paper.
Yet a new contract is still yet to be announced and that means Kante and his entourage are free to discuss terms with foreign clubs.
Barcelona still hope to convince Kante to move to Camp Nou and he may opt to delay a decision over his future until Chelsea have appointed a new manager.
The former Leicester City midfielder gave another strong showing against Real Madrid, though spurned two great opportunities to pull a goal back in the tie, while he was also very impressive against Liverpool earlier this month.
But for Kante playing, Alemany and Cruyff’s trip might have been a waste of time with their other two targets – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Cesar Azpilicueta – not playing.
Aubameyang, of course, was unregistered from the Chelsea squad for the knockout stages of the Champions League and was therefore ineligible to play against Real, while Azpilicueta was an unused substitute.
Barca are open to bringing Aubameyang back to Camp Nou and he remains a popular figure at the club, even joining the squad in the dressing room to celebrate their Clasico win over Real last month.
Azpilicueta, meanwhile, came close to joining Barca last summer but was convinced to extend his contract at Stamford Bridge; since then, his role and game time have reduced significantly and a move to Catalonia is likely to appeal this summer.
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