Atletico Madrid is reportedly keen to reinforce their defensive options and one player thought to be high up on manager Diego Simeone’s summer wish list is Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso.
That’s according to a recent report from ESPN, who claims the attacking Spanish defender is a candidate to move to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this summer.
Alonso, 31, has been with the Blues since 2016 and after completing a move from Italian Fiorentina has gone on to become a big presence in Chelsea’s first team.
Having so far made 201 appearances for the Londoners, across all competitions, Alonso, who boasts 47 direct goal contributions, has remained a mainstay since Thomas Tuchel took over just over 12-months ago.
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However, following the uncertainty the Blues find themselves under due to owner Roman Abramovich’s recent sanctioning by the UK Government, Atletico Madrid could capitalise by offering the experienced defender a route out of London.
Although the 31-year-old still has two years left on his deal, given his age and the likelihood of the club wanting to avoid a repeat scenario of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s impending expired contracts, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chelsea’s hierarchy favour a sale this summer over the risk of losing him for free in the near future.
Currently valued at a modest £13.5m (Transfermarkt), it goes without saying that Atletico Madrid would not have to break the bank to seal the wing-back’s signature.
However, with the Colchoneros in the middle of preparing for a massive Champions League quarter-final first leg tie against competition favourites Manchester City, it is likely that all transfer targets will need to take a back seat, at least until Simeone learns his side’s European fate.