Chelsea
Premier League • England
Alonso asks Chelsea to sign £116m superstar in ‘sensational’ first move
Xabi Alonso has been confirmed as the new Chelsea manager on a four-year deal
Chelsea could complete a jaw-dropping first move under Xabi Alonso, as they have been linked with Liverpool ace Florian Wirtz by a stunning report.
Alonso knows Wirtz extremely well, having helped the German develop into one of the best attacking midfielders in the world during their time together at Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz notched 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 games throughout the 2023-24 campaign as Alonso’s Leverkusen remarkably went unbeaten on their route to a first-ever Bundesliga title, while also winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the Europa League final.
Wirtz was the key cog in Alonso’s Leverkusen machine, picking up the Bundesliga Player of the Year award for his outstanding exploits.
However, things have not really worked out for Alonso or Wirtz since leaving the German side.
Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January, while Wirtz has failed to live up to his colossal £116million price tag since joining Liverpool in June last year.
Alonso has agreed to take over at Chelsea on a four-year contract, and Football Insider incredibly claim the Blues have ‘set their sights’ on a huge swoop for Wirtz.
The incoming Chelsea manager remains a ‘huge fan’ of Wirtz and is ‘keen’ for BlueCo to land him in a ‘sensational’ move.
Chelsea ‘hold strong interest’ in the Germany superstar, even though he has had an underwhelming debut season at Anfield.
In a stunning twist, the report claims Liverpool ‘would be open to letting Wirtz go’ for the right price, though they would ‘publicly deny that’.
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Wirtz to Chelsea seems unlikely
Alonso is described as the potential ‘saving grace’ for Wirtz’s Premier League career.
While it is understandable the Spaniard would want to reunite with Wirtz at Stamford Bridge, it is very hard to see Liverpool actually selling him after just one season.
Wirtz has had a year to adapt to the rigours of English football, and both he and Alexander Isak are expected to shine alongside each other next term.
Liverpool would also want at least £100-115m to sell the 23-year-old, having invested so heavily on his initial arrival. It would make far more sense for Chelsea to spend that money on a new striker and centre-back, with several other positions also in need of strengthening.
It was claimed last week that Chelsea are targeting a red-hot Premier League striker worth £69m.
We have already revealed the Leverkusen star Alonso is more likely to reunite with at Chelsea.