Chelsea close in on Marcos Alonso; considering options for further signings

According to the Guardian, Chelsea are edging closer to acquiring Fiorentina left back Marcos Alonso. The newspaper reports that the club are expected to pay £20.5 million for the Spanish defender. This is a smaller figure (€24m) than the one reported earlier by Fabrizio Romano (€27m).

Since the departure of Baba Rahman to Schalke 04 on loan, Chelsea have been looking for a new player to fill the position. Alonso has been the club's main target in the last few days of the summer transfer window. The former Bolton Wanderers player and Real Madrid youth product has apparently already agreed to personal terms with the club.

But the arrival of a new full back, which would let Branislav Ivanovic serve as extra cover in the middle, won't stop Chelsea in their search for a new centre back. And if they can’t secure a permanent signing, the club might look to bring in a new player on a loan deal instead, the Telegraph reports.

A loan move would provide Chelsea the opportunity to reevaluate how things are going in the winter. It would also not block Andreas Christensen, who's currently on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, from his shot at our first-team next season. It’s unclear what kind of quality is available on the loan market, but seems certain that this would be a move to reinforce depth rather than the major upgrade everyone was hoping for.

Still, depth is better than nothing. Only a day left until the summer transfer window closes. Let’s get something done.