Chelsea FC Sign Pep Chavarria in Alonso's Squad Reshaping
Chelsea FC is set to seal the signing of Pep Chavarria as Xabi Alonso continues to reshape his squad. The Blues have been locked in talks with LaLiga outfit Rayo Vallecano since the end of June regarding their Spanish left-back, who helped them to reach the final of last season’s Conference League, where they lost to Crystal Palace in Leipzig in May.
Why it Matters for Chelsea FC
The 28-year-old has a release clause in his contract at Vallecano worth £42.5m, though Chelsea were never willing to go anywhere close to that figure and are believed to have struck a deal worth an initial £16.2m plus a further £1.7m in add-ons. This signing will help Chelsea to bolster a potential problem position following the surprise £51.7million departure of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid earlier this summer.
What Comes Next?
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Chavarria is expected to travel to the UK on Friday in order to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge. He will compete with Jorrel Hato for a starting berth on the left side of defence for Chelsea following Cucurella’s exit, with new boss Alonso having already bolstered on the right with the £47m signing of Italy wing-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta, who has impressed on their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
League Standing and Goals
Chelsea currently sit 10th in the Premier League, with 52 points from 38 games, and have scored 58 goals this season, conceding 52. They are 33 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Transfer Activity
A number of exits are expected from Stamford Bridge before the September 1 transfer deadline, with interest mounting in the likes of Pedro Neto, Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong, while Andrey Santos, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrique George have already followed Cucurella in departing. Chelsea have agreed to sell Trevoh Chalobah to Italian club Como, with further centre-back exits anticipated for Axel Disasi and potentially Benoit Badiashile, while there have also been reports of potential loan switches for Mamadou Sarr and Acheampong.
What's Next for Chelsea FC?
The respective Chelsea futures of striker trio Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are also in doubt, while goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is poised to join BlueCo sister club Strasbourg. Enzo Fernandez continues to be linked with a big-money transfer to Real Madrid, while a raft of youngsters could still leave on loan including Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Omari Kellyman, Reggie Walsh, Shim Mheuka and Ishe Samuels-Smith.
