Chelsea are faced with the prospect of losing star defensive midfielder Enzo Fernandez, but, so far, the Argentinian international looks more likely to stay with Real Madrid balking at the asking price.
And in the meantime, the Blues are working on adding another big name in former Arsenal player Granit Xhaka, who is very interested in rejoining Xabi Alonso. He was Alonso’s deputy on the field as captain during Bayer Leverkusen’s fairytale undefeated 2023/24 season.
Sunderland have been blocking the deal because of how important Xhaka was to their survival last season, but Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Chelsea are not giving up on this deal getting done.
Fab says that while Sunderland are telling Chelsea that a deal is over, the Blues are making it clear that they are still going to keep pushing for the veteran Premier League and Bundesliga midfielder before seeing what happens.
Chelsea want to add to the midfield, not lose, and even if Enzo Fernandez stays, Granit Xhaka would still be a great veteran addition with his leadership, defensive quality, and technical ability. And it says a lot that Alonso wants him, as a manager getting an experienced player to carry out his tactical ideas is massive.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.