Transfer News: Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso could move to Barcelona.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (h/t Metro), Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso may hand in a transfer request to force a move to Barcelona this summer. The Spaniard has only one year left in his current contract and he has little intention of completing it.
A Real Madrid youth academy product, Alonso wants to move to Spain to be closer to his family and Barcelona, the club he dreams of playing for. He is believed to be Xavi’s top choice for the left-back position where he would compete with Jordi Alba.
Chelsea are said to be open to the idea of selling Alonso but would like to secure their backup first. A fee of €10 million could see the deal through, which is very reasonable considering Alonso’s experience.
Alonso played most of the games last season due to Ben Chilwell’s injury, with the Englishman out of the squad since November. The Spaniard made a total of 46 appearances for the club in all competitions scoring five goals and assisting six more.
As things stand, Alonso wants to leave respectfully but is willing to force a move if Chelsea doesn’t change their transfer stance. It is understandable why he is willing to leave. Chilwell was bought in as a competition against him, but he soon replaced him as the first-choice left-back. Last season, Alonso got to play because of Chilwell’s injury, otherwise, he would likely have played very limited minutes.
On the other hand, Thomas Tuchel is overseeing a major squad overhaul. He is yet to make a signing and two first-team centre-backs have left. The defence is in shambles and now Tuchel is about to get a new headache. Should Alonso leave, Chilwell will be the only preferred choice left and given his injury history, they would need a backup.
Emerson and Baba Abdul Rahman have returned from their respective loans at Olympique Lyon and Reading. However, they are not preferred so much by the coach and it is very unlikely to change unless Tuchel is unable to get in a new left-back. Then he will most likely have to rotate between the two.
Tuchel will know the problem he will have because of Alonso’s departure. It will be wise on his part to find an alternative. If he forces Alonso to stay for another season or till January to find his replacement, there are high chances of relationships getting sour. This is never good for the team morale as a whole, and could potentially affect the overall performance of the team.
It will be interesting to see who Tuchel gets as the Spaniard’s replacement. Chelsea fans will hope that Alonso stays for another season and continues arriving late in the box to find the back of the net with his volleys.
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