Barcelona are eyeing up a move for Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso after matching up against the fullback in the Round of 16 UEFA Champions League fixtures. The Blues dropped out of the competition after an aggregate 4-1 score but Alonso was one of the brightest outfits in both the legs.
The Spaniard was at the end of majority of the chances for Chelsea, including a free kick attempt which was deflected off the woodwork. Alonso’s nimble footwork along with his continued offensive efforts gave the West London club a fighting chance against the La Liga giants and as reports claim, caught the eyes of Lionel Messi himself.
Therefore, if a transfer approach does come through ahead of the summer window it would not be a shock, especially with the influence Messi has. Impressing the five-time Balon d’Or winner is not exactly an everyday occurrence and this could result in an even bigger future for Alonso.
The former-Fiorentina player arrived at the Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2016 and has so far racked up 13 goals and 6 assists in 75 appearances for the club. Ironically his professional career did start out with Barcelona’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid themselves and the full-back is a product of the Galacticos academy.
After spending two seasons with the Los Blancos ‘B’ team, Alonso made just 1 senior team appearance for Madrid and was later sold off to Championship side, Bolton Wanderers. He later went to make a name for himself with Fiorentina and is now one of the regular starters under Antonio Conte.
Alonso might technically be a full-back but he in no sense is a defensive enforcer. His talents are better showcased when he gets to surge forward from the left-hand side. Conte’s system does allow him to run the wide channels with a lot of freedom but his shortcomings on the defensive end might be a problem for any future suitors.
The 27-year-old does not have that incredible burst of pace either which Barcelona’s Jordi Alba and Lucas Digne have. The latter duo is already placed to fill in the left-back role and Alonso could be surplus to Ernesto Valverde’s requirements.
Alonso was brought into the Premier League by Antonio Conte and as long as the Italian is in charge of the Blues, it is unlikely that Alonso will go anywhere. January signing, Emerson Palmieri has struggled to find regular minutes with the team despite Alonso’s short spell on the sidelines with injury.
Unless Barcelona plans on giving Alonso a starting role on the left wing the transfer seems highly unlikely with Chelsea trying to claw their way back into the top-four of the Premier League.
