Chelsea are reportedly planning a major transfer raid on Real Madrid this summer, using ongoing negotiations as a gateway to enquire about multiple players.
According to Simon Phillips, the Blues have used recent talks with Real Madrid over Marc Cucurella’s sale to ask about five of the club’s players.
The players Chelsea have reportedly shown interest in are Alvaro Carreras, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni, Victor Valdepenas, and Dean Huijsen.
Huijsen was notably a target for Chelsea during his time at Bournemouth, making him one of the more familiar names on the reported list of targets.
Carreras is a particularly interesting case given that his arrival at Chelsea’s expense directly fills the left-back void created by Cucurella’s departure to Madrid.
Chelsea signed Cucurella for a £60m package back in 2022, according to BBC Sport, but the fee for his move to the Bernabeu is reported by BBC Sport at just £51.8m.
That represents a financial loss on a player who had been one of Chelsea’s more consistent performers in what has been a generally struggling squad in recent seasons.
The speed at which the Cucurella deal was completed perhaps suggests Chelsea did not fight hard to retain the Spain international, raising questions about the direction of the club’s transfer strategy.
Replacing Cucurella with Carreras carries its own risks, with the move potentially looking more like a downgrade than a genuine upgrade depending on how the younger player adapts.
The more exciting prospects from the reported list are arguably Tchouameni and Guler, both established players capable of significantly improving the quality of Xabi Alonso’s squad.
However, convincing players of that calibre to move to Stamford Bridge may prove difficult given Chelsea’s current standing in English football.
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and will not have European football to offer as an incentive when speaking to potential signings this summer.
The absence of European competition is a significant obstacle in transfer negotiations, particularly when targeting players who are accustomed to competing at the highest level.
One factor that could work in Chelsea’s favour is Alonso himself, whose reputation as a coach may carry genuine weight with players who have worked under him previously.
If Alonso can leverage his relationships and standing within the game, it may give Chelsea a credible selling point that the club’s league position alone simply cannot provide right now.
The post Chelsea Eye Alvaro Carreras, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni, Victor Valdepenas And Dean Huijsen In Real Madrid Raid appeared first on Gooner Daily.
