Marcos Alonso has been linked with a move to Inter Milan (Getty Images)
According to Calcio Mercato (h/t The Daily Mail), Chelsea have raised the asking price for defender Marcos Alonso amid Inter Milan interest.
Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte has raided England in the last two transfer windows, signing the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Ashley Young. Now Conte wants to strengthen his defensive options next season and wants to sign Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso in the summer. (h/t The Daily Mail)
Alonso, 29, has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bride this season, managing only eight Premier League appearances under Frank Lampard. Yet, the Blues will demand £25m for the Spanish left-back, the report adds. (h/t The Daily Mail)
Frank Lampard has done a fine job in his debut season as Chelsea’s manager without signing any players in the past two transfer windows. The 41-year-old has backed the academy payers to step up in the hour of need and the youngsters have grabbed the opportunities with both hands. Academy stars such as Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Fikayo Tomori have impressed.
One of the Blues’ biggest problems this season has been poor defending. They have leaked 36 goals in 26 games, even though Lampard’s side are fourth in the table. None of Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have performed consistently in defence, with full-backs Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso also not doing enough to warrant a spot in the starting XI.
Speaking about Alonso, he has failed to grab the opportunities at the beginning of the season. He has so far made only 14 appearances across all competitions this season. The 29-year-old last played a league match for Chelsea in December 2019 against Tottenham. The maximum Alonso has earned after that is a place on the bench.
Following the Spaniard’s dire performances, Lampard has shifted Cesar Azpilicueta on the left. The decision to switch Azpilicueta from right to left has benefitted Reece James, who has now made the right-back position his own with a series of strong displays.
With Lampard’s arrival last summer and his decision to nurture young talents, it has become clearer that Alonso is unlikely to get regular playing time at Chelsea. The 29-year-old visibly is not in Lampard’s plans for the season with the squad already filled with established players.
Thus, Chelsea would be wise to sell Alonso in the summer. Having signed the Spanish wing-back from Fiorentina for £24m in 2016 (h/t Sky Sports), it would be a coup if the Blues manage to sell him to Conte’s Inter Milan for £25m.
