With Koundé in the bag, Barça begin the final offensive for Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso
Having closed the Koundé deal, the club now focuses their sight on the Chelsea duo
It has been an intense few days with Koundé's transfer, though Barça have remained confident throughout the player had his eyes set oh the club. His will is the key not only to sealing a deal but also to preventing Seville from closing a deal with other clubs, like Chelsea.
Koundé's arrival has been all but secured by Alemany, Jordi Cruyff and company. They took their time before making an offer and eventually convinced Sevilla. The Andalusian club would have preferred to close the deal with Chelsea, but the pressure from Jules has been key.
With the Koundé operation on track and on the verge of success, Barça's efforts are now turning to the Chelsea duo. The blues will no doubt be prepared to give Barça a cold reception, being the very club they thwarted to bag the Frenchman's deal. The talks for Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta have been ongoing for months, and Barça have agreed on personal terms with both of them. But they do not intend to pay much for the services of the two Spanish players, who both finish their contracts in 2023 and are over 30 years old.
Alemany and company will need to brace themselves as they head into this new chapter. Azpilicueta is a wildcard that Xavi values highly for his versatility, as he can occupy any position in defence. Even so, Barça are not willing to pay more than 5-6 million euros for him.
The case of Marcos Alonso is similar, with Xavi wanting to add more competition for Jordi Alba. Offensively he is sharp, has a very good left foot, and scores a lot of goals. The Madrid-born player is a perfect choice as his contract with the blues ends in 2023. The total expenditure for both the players combined is estimated to be less than 10-15 million euros.
Barça face tough negotiations with a club that will certainly not make things easy. Chelsea will start their league in just over a week and Tuchel will need to have his squad setteld by then. So if Chelsea does let the players leave, the club chaired by Todd Boehly will look have it done sooner rather than later.
