Marcos Alonso is keen to leave Chelsea this summer. (imago Images)
According to popular Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano (h/t Football.London), Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso is closing in on a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
The former Fiorentina man joined Chelsea back in 2016 and has since then had a mixed time at Stamford Bridge. Whilst he has always been a great utility player during his time here, there is a feeling that he might not be good enough for a club like the Blues.
This season, Marcos Alonso has found himself playing far more than he would have expected due to an unfortunate long-term injury to first-choice left-back Ben Chilwell. The 31-year-old has played 46 games for the Blues this season scoring five goals and providing six assists across all competitions.
Alonso is said to be keen on a move away from Stamford Bridge and wants to return to his homeland and play for Barcelona. The Spaniard has already agreed on personal terms with the Spanish giants and a move is said to be very close.
Although Marcos Alonso has been a great servant to the club, if he wants to leave, it may be time to move on from the Spaniard. The high number of matches he played this season is obviously down to Chilwell’s injury.
If the 31-year-old stayed, he could still offer us a lot for the next two years at least but even if he were to leave, we will not be losing much. Ben Chilwell is our primary option and we can always sign someone to be his understudy or backup.
The two parties, Chelsea and Barcelona still need to agree to a fee for the transfer of the Spaniard but we cannot be expecting much of a fee for the player considering his age and the fact that his contract is set to expire next summer.
At 31, it makes sense for Alonso to want to return to his home country as he looks to wind down his career and moves into the twilight years. He may just realise that regular starts at Chelsea may stop coming once Chilwell is fit and firing again.
It remains to be seen as to how the Blues go about replacing Marcos Alonso. Whilst losing him is not a big loss, replacing him is essential. Emerson Palmieri is one of our stars out on loan. He had a decent season at Olympique Lyonnais after helping Italy to the UEFA Euro 2020 last summer.
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