Chelsea are planning to make a big offer for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia, according to a Spanish report, as TEAMtalk analyses why a move from the Santiago Bernabeu to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window is unlikely.
Garcia has been a star for Madrid at the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup so far. The 21-year-old striker has scored three goals and given one assist in four matches in the competition, helping Xabi Alonso’s side reach the quarter-finals.
The young Spanish striker came through the ranks at Madrid, and while he is flourishing at the moment, it remains to be seen if he is able to keep his place in Alonso’s starting line-up when LaLiga starts amid competition from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Endrick.
There have been rumours that promoted Premier League clubs Leeds United and Sunderland are ready to make major offers for Garcia, and now Chelsea are being linked with a summer move for a striker who has been compared to Real Madrid legend Raul.
According to Fichajes, ‘Chelsea are willing to shake up the summer transfer market with a strong offer for Gonzalo Garcia’
While describing Garcia as ‘one of the great sensations’ and ‘one of the great revelations’ of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the Spanish news outlet has claimed that Chelsea are ready to offer €40million (£34.5m, $47m) for the 21-year-old.
The Conference League winners’ plan is to replace Nicolas Jackson with Garcia.
Signed from Villarreal for £52million in the summer of 2023, Jackson has had a underwhelming spell at Chelsea so far, scoring 24 goals and giving 10 assists in 65 appearances in the Premier League.
According to Fichajes, Jackson ‘will not continue at Stamford Bridge’.
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Real Madrid may not sell Gonzalo Garcia
Fichajes is not one of the most reliable sources, so their claim that Chelsea are ready to make an offer for Garcia has to be taken with a pinch of salt.
While Chelsea are known to splash the cash on young players and hand them long-term contracts, a move for Garcia does appear unlikely, as things stand.
Firstly, Garcia has made only 10 appearances for the Madrid first team.
While the Spaniard has scored four goals and given two assists in those games, spending £34.5million on a 21-year-old with very limited first-team experience would not be prudent, even for a club like Chelsea.
Secondly, Chelsea have already signed a young striker this summer in Liam Delap, who cost the Blues £30million.
Delap, who is 22, scored 12 goals and gave two assists in 37 Premier League matches for Ipswich Town last season.
If Chelsea do plan to offload Jackson, then it would make sense for the Premier League club to bring in a more experienced striker than Garcia, who is even younger than Delap.
Thirdly, Madrid themselves may not want to sell Garcia in the summer transfer window.
The Spanish media have consistently reported in recent weeks that Madrid manager Alonso is a looking for a classic number nine – a striker like Joselu who can play in and around the opposition’s penalty box.
The likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Roberto Firmino have been linked, but with Garcia’s emergence, Alonso could decide to keep faith in the youngster and not bring in someone from another club.
Moreover, Alonso himself has publicly praised Garcia and has demonstrated his faith in him by regularly using him at the Club World Cup.
Goal quoted Alonso as saying about Garcia on June 27: “I had no doubts about Gonzalo. What he’s doing isn’t a surprise. He’s done it many times at Castilla. At least for him.
“He’s the typical number nine, who knows how to wait for his opportunity, who moves well.
“I’m very happy for him. He has Raul qualities in his movements. There are no decisions regarding the start of next season.”
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A Spanish report has claimed that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is furious that the Cityzens could not sign a top young player before he made the move to Madrid in the summer transfer window.
A Tottenham Hotspur star is ready to leave this summer and is open to a switch to Madrid, but the Premier League club have placed a hefty price-tag on him, with another major LaLiga outfit interested in securing his services.
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Gonzalo Garcia profile: Everything you need to know
By Samuel Bannister
Who was your money on for Real Madrid’s first goalscorer under Xabi Alonso? Kylian Mbappe? Vinicius Junior? Jude Bellingham, perhaps?
Instead, it was Gonzalo Garcia, who scored Madrid’s first goal at the Club World Cup in their draw with Al Hilal.
But it wasn’t Garcia’s first foray into the Madrid first team. Carlo Ancelotti gave the attacker his senior debut in November 2023, when he was 19 years old.
Garcia originally joined the Madrid youth ranks in 2014, spending four years there before a move to Mallorca brought on by family circumstances. A year later, though, he was back in Madrid.
A member of Madrid’s Castilla (reserves) side since March 2022, although he still played for the under-19s and was the top scorer at that age bracket in the 2022-23 season, Garcia achieved new heights in 2024-25.
In fact, he scored 25 goals for the Castilla side last season, equalling a team record for a single campaign.
Garcia is yet to get off the mark from his first five LaLiga appearances, but they have all been as a substitute. The promise he is now showing in other competitions is encouraging.
Mainly a centre-forward, Garcia can play on either wing as well, as he did numerous times throughout the 2024-25 season. Alonso has used him centrally at the Club World Cup, either as the main or supporting striker.
Possessing good physicality, Garcia has a decent work rate and will be hoping to make further strides into the Madrid first team in the future.
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