Barcelona are readying a summer move for out-of-favour Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso, who is seen as the most feasible option to bolster the left-back slot.
According to a report from Spanish outlet Todo Fichajes, Chelsea outcast Marcos Alonso has emerged on the radars of La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, who are now considering a summer move for the Spaniard.
Alonso arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2016 from Serie A outfit Fiorentina. The Spanish international became an instant hit under then-manager Antonio Conte, playing as a left wing-back, helping the Blues to the Premier League title.
Having been a regular for most of his time at Stamford Bridge, Alonso has become out of favour at the club this season. The arrival of Ben Chilwell in a big-money move from Leicester City coupled with a falling out with ex-manager Frank Lampard has meant that the Spaniard has not played a single game since September last year.
Barcelona, now, are hoping to capitalise on his situation as they look to bolster their left-back department. The Catalans brought in Junior Firpo to provide cover for Jordi Alba in the summer of 2019. However, the move has failed to work out as planned with the 24-year-old struggling to make the desired impact.
As a result, the Blaugrana are ready to offload him and replace with him a new left-back. This has seen Barcelona get linked with the likes of Jose Gaya from Valencia and PSG’s Juan Bernat. In fact, it was even claimed that the La Liga giants had reached an agreement to sign the latter at the end of the season when his deal with PSG expired.
However, that might not be the case as Barcelona have been discouraged by his wage demands while the investment required to sign Gaya could be significant as well. Thus, as per the report, the club has narrowed down on Alonso as the most feasible option.
Alonso is contracted with Chelsea till the summer of 2023. And Barcelona will look to sign him up on loan for the 2021/22 campaign before making his signing permanent the subsequent summer. The Catalans are of the belief that Chelsea would be open to such an arrangement as the Spaniard doesn’t seem to be in the first-team plans currently.
However, that might change as Lampard is no longer the manager at Stamford Bridge. The former Blues’ midfielder was sacked earlier this week, with Thomas Tuchel replacing him. And should the German decide to reintegrate Alonso into the squad, Barcelona might find it difficult to sign him in the summer.
So, it will be interesting to see how this story develops over the coming months. As things stand, though, it is very clear that Barcelona will look to bring in a new left-back.
