Chelsea’s new manager Xabi Alonso is doing his best to hold onto Enzo Fernandez, and with Real Madrid dropping off the radar and Manchester City not actively in talks, he stands a great chance at keeping the World Cup hero in his team.
The Blues, meanwhile, are pushing to add another big star to the midfield in Granit Xhaka, the former Arsenal captain and star for Sunderalnd last season, as he played a huge role in keeping the Black Cats in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that despite the Blues continued interest in Xhaka, Sunderland are refusing to open the door for Alonso to reunite with the leader who helped him achieve a historic undefeated Bundesliga season in 2023/24.
Romano says that Sunderland do not want to sell Granit Xhaka at any price. For them, it is not about the money but about the principle of keeping a huge player and leader in their locker room and building something in the Premier League. Fab reports that the negotiations are thus totally off at this point in time.
If Xabi Alonso really, really wants Xhaka, then Chelsea will either have to do something crazy or, more logically, move on to a different midfield target. Real Madrid do not want to buy Enzo Fernandez, but maybe Chelsea can take Aurelien Tchouameni or Eduardo Camavinga from them instead.
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.