A massive summer is expected at Chelsea this summer with a new centre-back expected to be top of Xabi Alonso’s priority list. One name linked with Chelsea is a player Alonso told Liverpool to sign.
When Axel Disasi and Aaron Anselmino return to Stamford Bridge this summer, Alonso will have 10 centre-backs at his disposal. Chelsea have failed to qualify for Europe, meaning that number will be sliced.
What is Xabi Alonso’s number one priority as soon as he walks through those doors?🤔
Xabi Alonso's priority as Chelsea manager
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Only Jorrel Hato and Levi Colwill will definitely be at Chelsea next season, with the other eight defenders linked with a move away from the club in the past few weeks. Plenty of change is expected this summer.
Not only do Chelsea have too many options at centre-back, but they also lack quality and it is likely to be something addressed in the coming weeks. One player he could sign is Atletico Madrid’s Marc Pubill.
Chelsea want player Xabi Alonso suggested to Liverpool
Pubill has become one of La Liga’s best central defenders this season under the stewardship of Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid. Moving inside from left-back, he is one of the first names on the team sheet.
That form has attracted Premier League suitors. Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool are said to be doing background work on the 22-year-old, who has earned a place in Spain’s World Cup squad this summer.
Atletico Madrid v Girona - LaLiga EA Sports
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It comes just a couple of months after reports from Spain suggested Alonso was going to take over at Liverpool from Arne Slot, and had already suggested Pubill as a signing for the Reds ahead of his move.
If these reports are true, then it is a clear indication that not only does Alonso rate Pubill as a player, but it shows that Chelsea are acting on the power they have supposedly given to their new ‘manager’.
Tempting Pubill to join Chelsea is going to be an uphill task
Chelsea’s chances of luring Pubill to Stamford Bridge this summer seem small. This is a player that is starting regularly for one of his nation’s biggest clubs, who have qualified for the Champions League.
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Chelsea do not have Champions League football to offer. But they do have Alonso, and that might be lure enough alongside a hefty contract to convince Pubill to continue his development in the Premier League.
Chelsea have also worked his agency in the past through Cesare Casadei and Kalidou Koulibaly, and that may play into the Blues’ favour. But without European football, shopping in this market will be tricky.
That, and because Atletico Madrid do not want to sell Pubill. Indeed, Spanish site AS say Simeone and Atleti are plotting a new contract offer for Pubill which includes bigger wages and a £433m exit clause.
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