Transfer News: Marcos Alonso is very close to joining Barcelona from Chelsea
Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso is very close to joining Barcelona this summer. The talks involving the left-back are said to be in the final stages according to journalist Christian Falk via Twitter.
Barcelona have been interested in the Spaniard since the beginning of the summer transfer window. And now it looks like they are close to getting their player.
Alonso arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2016 and has been impressive for the majority of his time in Blue. A very attacking-minded player, he is famous for his volleys inside the box and marauding runs upfield from left-back.
Alonso fell down the pecking order after the arrival of Ben Chilwell. But due to a horrific injury, the Englishman was side-lined for most of the 2021/22 season and Alonso was thrust into the starting XI. He was impressive but failed to show much consistency.
Now he could be on his way to Barcelona with the player also said to be open to the move. He wants to return to Spain to be near his family and friends. But his potential departure will cause a headache for Thomas Tuchel.
Given Chilwell’s injury history, a backup will be needed for him. Alonso’s departure leaves Emerson Palmieri and Abdul-Rahman Baba as our options on the bench. Both players have struggled to establish themselves at the Bridge and are coming off loan spells at other clubs.
Emerson was included in the pre-season squad and he even played in the friendlies. Baba was not included and that could be an indication of him being nowhere near Tuchel’s plans for next season.
It is very likely that if Tuchel cannot get a backup for Chilwell before the window ends, Emerson could be handed Alonso’s role should the latter leave. This would give the player an opportunity to impress Tuchel and maybe become a trusted member of the roster.
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The team have concluded their pre-season in the United States. They will play a friendly in Italy against Udinese before returning back to England. Whether or not Alonso has played his last competitive game in Blue remains to be seen.