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What's the rumour?
According to the Spanish newspaper AS, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are willing to go head to head in order to coax Marcos Alonso away from Chelsea. If the aforementioned report is to be believed, Chelsea are yet to slap a price tag on their treasured left-back, but he could be available for a fee in the region of €30 million.
In case you didn't know...
Alonso is contracted to Chelsea until 2021, having agreed a five-year deal with the club when he joined them from Fiorentina in 2016.
The 27-year-old is one of the best left-backs in football world presently who is also quite handy up front. In Chelsea's last fixture against Arsenal, Alonso contributed with a much-needed winner and an assist.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid have had a relatively tame transfer window this summer. Nevertheless, with less than two weeks left, Los Blancos seem all set to procure some big-name signings, particularly in the wake of their humiliating defeat to their bitter rivals Atletico Madrid in UEFA Super Cup final.
Following Theo Hernández's departure to Real Sociedad on loan, the La Liga giants reportedly deem Marcos Alonso as an able back-up for Marcelo. Besides, Real Madrid also have the first-hand knowledge of the Spaniard who is a La Fabrica graduate and could also deploy him as a central defender when needed owing to the versatility he offers.
As for Atletico Madrid, Filipe Luis is apparently keen on moving to Paris Saint-Germain and Los Colchoneros wish to secure a top-quality replacement before the transfer window closes on 31 August.
Rumour rating/probability: 5/10
The report comes from a pretty decent source but Chelsea's reluctance to let go of their star player appears to be the only sticking point. Premier League transfer window has already come to an end and therefore, the Pensioners cannot afford to lose Alonso.
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What's next?
Granted that Chelsea are highly unlikely to offload the former Fiorentina ace, a serious offer from either of the Madrid-based clubs could compel them to back-pedal.
