European giants Barcelona are reportedly interested in making a move for Chelsea and Spanish defender Marcos Alonso in the January transfer window.
Spanish news publication Don Balon reports that the La Liga giants are looking to bring in a left-sided full-back in the new year and they believe the Chelsea ace will be the perfect candidate.
The report according to the Spanish outlet claims that signing Alonso will be a difficult task for the Catalan giants as the Premier League champions will be reluctant to sell him in January and he will also be ineligible to play for them in the latter stages of the Champions League this season.
Is Marcos Alonso leave Chelsea a good move?
Since joining the Blues last summer, Alonso has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League.
The Spaniard became an integral part of the Antonio Conte’s starting lineup last season, playing 37 matches across all competitions and provided an attacking outlet from defence, contributing with six goals and registering three assists.
Alonso’s performance last season was key to Chelsea wining their fifth Premier league title – the first major trophy of the 26-year-old career.
The full-back has started the current season in brilliant form, he scored a brace against local rivals Tottenham helping the Blues secure a vital 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium.
Although Conte has managed to sign defenders Davide Zappacosta and Antonio Rudiger this summer, the Italian boss still cannot afford to lose Alonso in January due to his pivotal role in his 3-4-3 formation.
How likely is this going to happen?
Having seen how important the Spaniard is to the Blues squad, I believe Chelsea will surely be unwilling to listen to any offers for the defender in January as it will be a huge loss to the team in the middle of the season.
Barcelona already have in their ranks two left-backs in the form of Jordi Alba and Lucas Digne so the La Liga giants are more likely to set the foundations in January for a potential move next summer.
However, for Blues to ever think of selling Alonso, Barca will have to table a mouth-watering bid and given that they have already spent big money on bringing Ousmane Dembele to the Camp Nou this summer, they will be extremely cautious with their transfer policy in January.
F/W’s view
Chelsea must do everything within their power to keep hold of Marcos Alonso when the transfer window reopens in January no matter who comes knocking if they want to defend their title and compete to the final stages of the Champions League this season.