Barcelona confident of finalising Marcos Alonso deal
Barcelona remain in talks with Chelsea over a deal to sign left-back Marcos Alonso, and 90min understands there is a confidence that an agreement will soon be reached.
The Catalan giants had been looking to sign both Alonso and fellow defender Cesar Azpilicueta as the pair entered the final 12 months of their respective contracts, but the latter ended the speculation over his future on Thursday by signing a new two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
While Azpilicueta was always open to staying at Chelsea, the understanding is that Alonso has made it clear that he wants a move to Barcelona. Manager Thomas Tuchel is prepared to sanction his departure, too - unlike with Azpilicueta.
Having missed out on the Chelsea captain, Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of Alonso and sources have confirmed that the Blaugrana believe a deal will soon be reached.
An agreement over personal terms was struck weeks ago and all that remains is the negotiations over a transfer fee, with Chelsea keen to bring in funds after striking a bumper deal to sign Brighton defender Marc Cucurella.
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During the talks between the two sides, Barcelona have brought up a handful of their own players in an attempt to entice a bid from Chelsea, with midfielder Frenkie de Jong still being pushed to Stamford Bridge after talks with Manchester United slowed down.
De Jong is by no means the only player put on the table by Barcelona as Chelsea have also been alerted to the availability of both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay, both of whom have tumbled down the pecking order following Robert Lewandowski's move to Camp Nou.
Finding attacking targets is not high on Chelsea's list of priorities, although Tuchel is open to making another signing at that end of the pitch, and the focus is instead on recruiting new defenders following the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
The Blues boss has already turned down the chance to sign Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo but, as 90min revealed last month, owner Todd Boehly is prepared to launch a bid before the end of the transfer window if Tuchel cannot identify a preferred alternative.