With the number of signings Chelsea need to make this summer, it would not come as any surprise if Xabi Alonso looks towards his former clubs for potential additions. Of course, both his spells were completely opposite. At Bayer Leverkusen, the Spaniard overachieved everybody’s expectations. He took a team that was merely hoping to avoid relegation and turned them into the first-ever invincible champions of the Bundesliga.
That saw him get the Real Madrid job after less than three years in top-level management. And it might have come too early for Alonso.
While he had a win percentage of more than 70% during his time at Real Madrid, it appeared that he failed to manage the dressing room. He was shown the exit inside a season. Of course, that allowed Chelsea to bring him in this summer.
Now, it looks like the Spaniard might have his eyes on one of his Real Madrid favourites. According to Ekrem Konur, Alonso has made Real Madrid’s Arda Guler a priority target for this summer.
Xabi Alonso reportedly wants Arda Guler at Chelsea
Guler became a starter for Real Madrid during the stint of Alonso as manager there. It is easy to forget but he did not get consistent game time under Carlo Ancelotti.
So, it makes sense why Alonso might be keen on a reunion with him. That being said, there is some bad news for Chelsea in that respect. According to the same report, Real Madrid are unwilling to let the 21‑year‑old Turkish international leave.
As a result, it appears that Alonso’s interest in reuniting with Guler at Chelsea might be headed nowhere. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere for potential signings.
But then again, never say never in football. And Chelsea might just have something up their sleeve when it comes to the Guler transfer race.
Real Madrid are believed to be interested in Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid. It is pretty much an open secret that he would welcome the move.
But then, Real Madrid would need to agree on a fee with Chelsea. Fernandez has a long-term contract with the Blues. So, they have the leverage in any negotiations.
It is believed that Chelsea would be looking for a transfer fee in the region of £120 million to part ways with Fernandez this summer. Now, that makes it tough for Real Madrid.
It has been suggested that Real Madrid would not be open to offering more than €100 million. Or, they could include some players as part of the deal.
That is where Guler might come in. Now, it remains to be seen if such an idea is presentable to Real Madrid, or Chelsea.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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