Cole eyes summer exit to Barcelona if Chelsea retain faith in under-fire AVB



By Sportsmail Reporter

Ashley Cole will seek to join Barcelona in the summer if Chelsea stick with beleaguered boss Andre Villas-Boas.



The Portuguese is under fire following a disappointing debut season so far at Stamford Bridge and has fallen out with several senior players in the Blues' dressing room.

Cole is understood to be one of those players and was left on the bench for the 3-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli on Tuesday, along with Frank Lampard, and Michael Essien.



Benched: Ashley Cole (left) was among those left out at Napoli on Tuesday

Villas-Boas has revealed he had to justify his team selection to Chelsea's Russian owner in the wake of the embarrassing defeat in Italy, but insists he still has Abramovich's support.



Cole, long regarded as one of the world's finest left-backs, has attracted interest from both Barca and rivals Real Madrid in the past.



And the 31-year-old England star will seek a swift exit should Chelsea retain their faith that Villas-Boas is the man to overhaul the squad in the long-term, according to the Daily Star.



