The 2026 summer transfer window has not officially opened yet but Chelsea are already being linked with a host of new players following the appointment of Xabi Alonso
11:13, 04 Jun 2026
Xabi Alonso
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Xabi Alonso, Chelsea's new manager(Image: Alexander Hassenstein)
Chelsea are in desperate need of signing a top striker this summer - and Julian Alvarez has been named as the perfect option for Xabi Alonso.
That is according to former Blues and England defender Glen Johnson, who believes the Blues are in desperate need of a centre-forward that can score 20 Premier League goals in a season. Joao Pedro bagged 15 in the top-flight in his debut campaign in Chelsea colours but there is still a bit of debate whether he will be the club's No.10 in the long term.
Alvarez, meanwhile, looks as if he could be on his way out of Atletico Madrid this summer with Barcelona and Arsenal both interested in the Argentina international. Barca seem the favourites at the moment, even after their outburst on social media last week, but Chelsea have been loosely linked with Alvarez for quite some time now.
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Sources say Chelsea's main three priorities this summer under new manager Alonso, who is understood to be aligned with the club's sporting leadership team in the areas they need to improve in, are centre-back, central midfield and left wing. While there are no indications the Blues will move for a striker, Johnson, who played at Stamford Bridge for four years, believes that is the area they should be targeting.
Specifically Alvarez, who is said to be valued at £120million by Atletico. Speaking to LiveFootballTickets on behalf of football.london, Johnson said: "Signing a striker should be priority number one for Chelsea this summer.
Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez
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Chelsea have been told to go and sign Julian Alvarez(Image: Jose Breton/NurPhoto)
"You can't compete at the top of the Premier League without an out-and-out striker scoring 20 goals a season, and Chelsea don't have someone of that description at the moment.
"Those are the types of players you need to drag you through games when you're poor, to score a goal out of nothing so you win games instead of drawing to opposition you should be beating if you want to compete.
"I think Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid would be perfect. He seems like he's on the move this summer and that's exactly the type of player Chelsea need to go out and snap up.
"He's a great player, his work ethic is absolutely through the roof, and he's a perfectly well-rounded striker. He has proven in the past he can score goals in the Premier League during his time at Man City, and if they could do a sensible deal, offering someone the other way, for example, then that would be a brilliant signing. Chelsea fans would be buzzing with seeing him coming through the door."
Julian Alvarez
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Julian Alvarez has been strongly linked with moves to Arsenal and Barcelona(Image: Julian Finney - UEFA)
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