Blues ready to pay £42.6m for this left-back
Chelsea transfer news: Chelsea consider £42.6 million swoop for Real Madrid left-back Álvaro Carreras
Chelsea transfer news: The transfer market is heating up, and Stamford Bridge chiefs are ready to spend big again. This time, the target is Real Madrid defender Álvaro Carreras.
Chelsea are seriously considering meeting the full €50 million valuation set by the Spanish giants. But there is a condition. The London club will only sanction this massive summer outlay if manager Xabi Alonso can pull off a vital bit of persuasion. Alonso needs to look the 23-year-old in the eye and guarantee him the starting shirt in West London.
The Xabi Alonso connection
It helps that Alonso knows the player inside out. The two worked together closely during the first half of the recent season at the Bernabéu before the manager left Spain to take the reins at Chelsea. Under Alonso, Carreras was the undisputed first choice on the left side of the defence. That established bond is exactly why Chelsea are pushing so hard now. But the player himself is holding out for guarantees before he packs his bags for England.
Carreras had a brilliant year in Madrid. He racked up 40 appearances across all competitions and started 38 of those matches. He is not just a standard defender who stays back, either. The young Spaniard chipped in with two goals and three assists in La Liga, proving he can cause real damage when he bombs forward. His passing accuracy stayed around the 85 per cent mark during high-pressure league encounters. That sort of consistency is exactly what caught the eye of the hierarchy in London. They want proven continental quality, and Carreras fits the profile perfectly.
The Mourinho shake-up in Spain
Things have changed quickly in Madrid, though. The arrival of José Mourinho as the new manager has completely altered the landscape for the Champions League runners-up. Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Madrid have a very distinct plan for their left-back slot now. Former Chelsea man Marc Cucurella has just arrived in Spain after a £51 million switch, and Mourinho has installed him as the definitive first-choice starter.
Where does that leave Carreras? Strictly as a deputy to Cucurella. Mourinho wants to keep him as a squad option, but the rest of the Madrid defence is facing a total clear-out. Fran García is looking for a new club, and Ferland Mendy is stuck on the treatment table trying to recover from his current injury problems.
The decision facing Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have already seen a low opening bid of €25 million instantly rejected by the Spanish club. Real Madrid will not budge on their price. Now, the ball is firmly in Chelsea’s court. They have to decide whether to pay the full asking price or walk away to look at other options. Time is ticking. Carreras has already reported back to Madrid for pre-season training under Mourinho, so Chelsea cannot afford to drag their feet if they want to get this deal over the line.
Sitting on the bench behind Cucurella in Spain is only going to slow down his progress. A move to England under a manager who trusts him blindly makes a lot more sense for a young player who needs regular minutes to keep growing.
Rohit Sarkar
