Marcos Alonso set to leave Chelsea, Barcelona ‘very optimistic’ — reports

The summer ahead looks to involve a fair amount of rebuilding, especially among the defensive options in the squad. That’s possibly a concern, but also perhaps an opportunity for the new owners to make an immediate positive impact.

One of the experienced veterans set to be leaving is Marcos Alonso, who apparently “has an agreement with Chelsea to facilitate his departure”. The 31-year-old does have one year left on his Chelsea contract, but Barcelona are “very optimistic” of being able to reach a deal with both the player and the club. That’s according to Cadena SER, who claim to have a confirmation from sources close to both Alonso and Barcelona that those negotiations are ongoing.

Presumably that means we’d let Alonso go for a token fee as a thanks to his six-year service to the club, much like we’d probably let César Azpilicueta go for a token fee should he choose to follow Alonso (and Christensen) to Barca this summer. (Antonio Rüdiger’s also going to Spain; guess it’s true what they say about sunshine.)

If Alonso leaves, our need to sign a left wing-back becomes even more apparent. According to Christian Falk, one option could be VfB Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa, who was first linked back in January.