Chelsea and Barcelona are reportedly among the clubs keen on signing 25-year-old Spanish defender Alfonso Pedraza from Villarreal.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Alfonso Pedraza has a gamut of big-name suitors vying for his signature in the summer transfer window. Chelsea and Barcelona are among the clubs showing an interest in the 25-year-old Spanish defender, who is valued at around €15 million by Villarreal.
Alfonso Pedraza has been with Villarreal since joining their youth setup in 2011 as a 15-year-old. However, it was not until 2020/21 that he finally managed to establish himself as a regular in the first-team setup at the Spanish club. The season proved to be quite memorable for the full-back, as he featured in 44 matches across all competitions, chipping in with two goals and four assists.
The 25-year-old was also a part of the team that won the UEFA Europa League title last term, which helped Villarreal secure a place in the Champions League for the upcoming campaign. Suffice to say, his progress has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona and Chelsea among his suitors heading into the summer transfer window.
Barcelona continue to be in a transitional state despite completing a season under the tutelage of Ronald Koeman. With Joan Laporta now the club president, a major financial clean-up is underway at Camp Nou, which pertains to the first-team squad as well, with the squad size and wage bill being addressed.
To that end, Junior Firpo has already departed Barcelona, with Jordi Alba, who is on the wrong side of 30 anyway, also facing an uncertain future at the Catalan club. As a result, Barcelona are in the market for a left-back, with the likes of Jose Gaya, Mario Hermoso, and Angelino linked with them. Chelsea, on the other hand, have a more clear-cut reason to invest in Pedraza.
As things stand, Thomas Tuchel has three left-backs at his disposal in Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri. However, Chilwell is the only player whose future is secure at Stamford Bridge, with both Emerson and Alonso being linked with summer departures from the club. Thus, Pedraza has emerged as a viable target for the west Londoners.
The 25-year-old will not be an expensive investment either, with Villarreal demanding €15 million in exchange of his services. However, Chelsea and Barcelona are not the only suitors lining up for the signature of Pedraza, who is also being courted by AC Milan, AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen.
What now remains to be seen is which of the interested parties end up making the first move to sign the Spaniard. Villarreal are open to the sale of the 25-year-old and it will be interesting to see if he joins, Chelsea, Barcelona or some other club altogether this summer in a €15 million move.
