Chelsea are set to sign 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder Julia Bartel.
The teenager, whose contract expires this summer, started and played 90 minutes for Barcelona’s first team in their 4-2 win over Levante, four days after their 1-0 home Champions League semi-final defeat to Chelsea which they went onto win 2-1 on aggregate.
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Although Bartel has been part of the first-team set-up, she has been a mainstay for Barcelona reserves, who play in Spain’s second tier. Having made 22 appearances and scoring four goals, Bartel helped guide her side to back-to-back league titles this season.
The Spain under-23 international has also shone on the international stage. She scored the winner in added-time in the Under-19 2022 European Championship final against
Norway and also has a 2022 Under-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2023 Under-19 European Championship gold medal to her name.
Chelsea enter the final day of the Women’s Super League season at the top of the division. They are tied with Manchester City on 52 points but have a superior goal difference (+2).
Chelsea face fifth-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, while City face seventh-placed Aston Villa at Villa Park.
It will be Emma Hayes’ last game as Chelsea manager before she departs the club to take charge of the USWNT.
GO DEEPER
Advantage Chelsea in the WSL title race - the pressure is on Bunny Shaw-less Man City
(Johannes Simon/Getty Images for DFB)
