Chelsea ‘close to reaching agreement’ for Alonso request – Transfer to be finalised shortly

Chelsea have made concrete attempts for Bayer Leverkusen’s Kerim Alajbegović but have been in danger of missing out.

On July 18th, we relayed news Xabi Alonso has requested the Premier League side sign the winger.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international will return to pre-season on Monday, after his involvement at the World Cup.

Two days ago, Sport Witness covered claims from Germany that Chelsea could complete the signing over the weekend, but that didn’t happen.

Chelsea face Juventus threat

Monday’s edition of Bild claims the Blues are offering €40m, most likely with bonuses. Xabi Alonso didn’t hand the 18-year-old minutes while at Bayer Leverkusen but is aware of his potential.

He seems to be pushing for the youngster’s signing and Chelsea are ‘close to reaching an agreement’ with the Bundesliga side. Kerim Alajbegović doesn’t have an agreement with the London club while Juventus continue to push.

The Serie A side have made an improved offer, without Bild mentioning figures for their new and old bids. This puts them back in the race.

Juve want to include the attacker in their first team next season and have informed the the player. This may not be possible at Stamford Bridge. Therefore, Chelsea want to send him on loan despite Alonso’s appreciation.

Chelsea still in lead

Neither the English club or Juventus have found an agreement yet with the German club. As of now, Chelsea are in pole, followed by the Turin club.

Kerim Alajbegović is waiting to see which club(s) will agree with Bayer Leverkusen, after which he will conduct negotiations with them. This could happen soon, as Bild claims ‘a deal is expected to be finalised shortly’.

Kicker also reports Chelsea are in pole but haven’t found an agreement. He has held talks with Xabi Alonso, who has outlined plans for his development, which includes a loan.

However, the player’s agent hasn’t started talks with the west London club. Despite this, there’s an expectation for the two parties to agree on personal terms. Juventus are still in the running to sign him, along with Napoli and Atalanta.

The Bosnian will return to Bayer Leverkusen today but is unlikely to train with the group.

Kicker states: ‘It is unlikely that the player will train with the team. Firstly, because he will likely need to be individually integrated into the training schedule of his teammates, who have been training for the past two weeks. Secondly, to avoid risking injury shortly before such a transfer.’