Why Chelsea must sell Marcos Alonso to Barcelona this summer
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 3 Jul 2022 14:40 BST
- 4 min read
Barcelona and Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal for Marcos Alonso to join the Spanish giants this summer.
Alonso, 31, is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this transfer window after six years at the club. Camp Nou will be the destination for him if the two clubs can come to an agreement on the transfer fee.
The defender's deal at Chelsea is set to expire in 12 months time, so selling him this summer is essential. Not only in order to avoid losing him for nothing next year, but also due to a number of other reasons.
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According to Sport, the two clubs are currently in discussions, but there is a disparity in his valuation. Chelsea are demanding over €10 million, while Barcelona are hoping the fee doesn't exceed that mark. It's believed that the Blaugrana are hopeful that an offer of less than €10m plus add-ons will be accepted by Thomas Tuchel's side.
If a deal can be reached between the two clubs, Alonso will arrive at Camp Nou this summer as the player is keen on returning to his homeland. He will join Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen in joining the club this summer, while Cesar Azpilicueta, Carlos Soler, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha could all arrive too.
Xavi is set to let the likes of Memphis Depay and Samuel Umtiti leave, while the future of Frenkie de Jong remains up in the air. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that the Dutchman "wants to stay" at the club and reinforced the message that they don't want to sell him.
However, financial pressures may mean they'll have to sell him to Manchester United if he doesn't agree to a wage cut.
As for Alonso, the club have sounded him out as a rotation option to Jordi Alba, who is now 34 and not the player he once was. Even so, Alba notched an impressive 10 La Liga assists last season and his 30 league starts could only be bettered by Sergio Busquets and Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barca squad.
Chelsea have been handed a lifeline by Barcelona
Tuchel has one of the most bloated squads in Europe available to him, and this fact will be exemplified by the amount of players in pre-season training.
The likes of Michy Batshuayi, Matt Miazga and Armando Broja will all return from loan spells away last season, and combined that with back-up players such as Ross Barkley and Malang Sarr, and it's clear Chelsea need to get rid of wages off the books.
Selling Alonso is therefore an absolute must, and Barcelona's interest makes Chelsea's job a whole lot easier.
The Spanish international has been a fantastic servant to Chelsea and was a key reason why Antonio Conte was able to mastermind the club's transformation from 10th to first in just one season. However, his defensive flaws have been exposed since the Italian head coach's exit and the absence of Ben Chilwell was obvious last campaign.
Of course, depth is needed to cover Chilwell if injury befalls him again, but that could come from other sources. With just one year left on his deal, Chelsea can't keep Alonso past this summer and Barcelona are looking set to take him off the Blues' hands.
Whether Emerson Palmieri returns from his loan at Lyon to fill the back-up role or is sold remains to be seen, but either option would be valid. If Emerson is sold, then keeping hold of Ian Maatsen is crucial. The Dutchman excelled at Coventry last year, winning their 'Young Player of the Season' award, and has been linked with a move back to the Netherlands and to Borussia Dortmund.
He'd be a more than able back-up to Chilwell, as would Harvey Vale should Tuchel stick with a wing-back system.
€10m may well be the fee agreed for Alonso, and while that may not seem like much, it could be the difference between signing Raheem Sterling or not, and that is a pivotal move in the context of Chelsea's transfer window.
Overall, Alonso has been a great signing for Chelsea, but it's now he's moved on and Barcelona's desire to add another left-back has provided the perfect opportunity to sell.
