The culés are still waiting for Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta, while the Londoners follow the ‘Dembélé case’ with interest
Barcelona and Chelsea seem destined to understand each other in this summer transfer market, which has been very stagnant so far. Still immersed in its plans to thoroughly restructure the defensive plot, the culé team looks to the ‘blue’ team, where Christiansen, Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta wait for the final signal to wear the Blaugranas. Meanwhile in London they are still waiting for the Dembélé soap and waiting for its resolution to cast their nets on a footballer who can be the capital in their new project.
Xavi Hernandez wants to give chase to the defense of Barca. This is what the Tarrasa coach told Joan Laporta as soon as the season came to an end and he also passed it on to Gerard Piqué, a player who was to step into the background. That decision means the near-forced departures of players like Lenglet, Mingueza or Umtiti and the landing of new pieces that will give the team the sturdiness they need to compete again with the great ocean liners of the Old Continent. That’s where Chelsea come in, a team that currently has what Barca need, reinforcements of guarantees that can be good, fun and cheap.
And it’s that Chelsea are being plunged into a major rebuild that Barca can take advantage of to fish in murky waters. With the departure of Roman Abramóvich and the arrival of Todd Boehly, a tycoon with a fortune worth $4,500 million, players like Christiansen, Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso or Rudiger choose to abandon ship. The German has already set course for Real Madrid, the Dane already has an agreement with the Catalans and the other two footballers are the ones who have now become a priority target for the entity chaired by Joan Laporta.
Marcos Alonso is an old dream of Barcelona. At Camp Nou, they love his ability to be a decisive footballer on offense, his physical exuberance and his determination to play for the culé team. Journalist Fabrizio Romano assured on June 13 that Mateu Alemany already has the player’s yes and that now only the second part would be missing, in negotiation with the England team. Chelsea have valued Real Madrid’s youth squad at €13 million, an amount Barca cannot accept until it activates economic levers and an amount de Blaugrana hopes to significantly reduce in the transfer market.
The case of César Azpilicueta is different. The Navarrese defender likes Can Barça because they believe he is a footballer who can add his experience to the block, his winning character and be a wildcard for Xavi in the Blaugrana squad. He can play as a centre-back, right-back and even left-back, a lifesaver for the back.
The former Osasuna and Olympique de Marseille player terminated his contract with Chelsea this summer but last year, at the age of 32, he again met the minimum number of matches played and automatically renewed his link with the ‘blues’ until June 2023. Chelsea He, like Marcos Alonso, is asking for €13 million, an amount that Barca hopes will be reduced if the footballer reaches a friendly agreement with the club’s new owners.
The other wing of the plane flying over the new air bridge between Barcelona and London is that of Ousmane Dembélé. The Catalans met this week with their agent, Moussa Sissoko, to put the offer they had been making for months back on the table. The proposal was not to the liking of the Mosquito representative and both the Blaugrana and Chelsea are awaiting the final decision.
Barca will not increase the offer and from London they are rubbing the hand of a player who ends his contract this Thursday and has to choose. According to Sport newspaper, Chelsea have made a net offer of €10 million per season, an amount comparable to that presented at the Camp Nou. The ball is now in Dembele’s court.
Barca are looking to Chelsea and doing so with one of Xavi’s most important requests in this market. Tarrasa’s wants a team in which he has a guaranteed substitute in all positions. He wants to double positions and that also applies to Busquets, who will have Kessié as an alternative, and Jordi Alba. The Hospitalet winger finished very fair physically last season and with 33 years at the culé club they think it’s time to lighten the competition burden. 44 games and nearly 4,000 minutes is too much for a player who doesn’t have a Plan B. Marcos Alonso is the leading candidate on a list that also includes Javi Galán and José Gayá.
Source: La Verdad
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