Barcelona confident of beating Bayern Munich to free transfer signing of Chelsea's Christensen

Barcelona are aggressively pushing to win the race to sign Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen on a free transfer ahead of Bayern Munich.

The Catalan side, coached by Xavi, have offered Christensen a deal until 2027, with terms which are superior to those tabled by Bayern and Chelsea.

The German champions were scheduled for talks with the 25-year-old's representative this week because they see him as an ideal replacement for Niklas Sule - after he signed a pre-contract to join Borussia Dortmund in the summer - but it is unclear whether they will still go ahead.

The Blues had wanted to renew their Denmark international's contract, while the defender, who was signed at 16 from Brondby for £500,000, also wanted to stay.

However, talks broke down over agent's fees and signing-on bonuses, even after a £140,000-a-week contract was verbally agreed.

On one side, Chelsea sources described the players's camp as moving the goalposts. Meanwhile, on the other side, they believe that a lack of agreement on agent's fees meant that no such deal was agreed.

It left talks in a deep freeze with the Blues furious, and Thomas Tuchel publicly criticising the player and gradually using him less.

The desire to re-sign Christensen only came after Frank Lampard was sacked and the Dane improved his form under Tuchel.

Before that, Chelsea had only offered him a one-year contract extension without a pay rise, until they saw the defender play a pivotal role in the run to winning the Champions League last season.

Even though Christensen's final destination remains to be confirmed, the least likely option now seems to be a contract renewal in west London.

The Stamford Bridge club are now in a vulnerable position, with Antonio Rudiger and