Marcos Alonso a possible long term replacement for Barca

Marcos Alonso 

Barcelona football club is considering Chelsea defender, Marcos Alonso as a long-term replacement for Gerard Pique.

The 27-year-old Spanish, who is a product of Real Madrid’s academy system, is seen by those at Camp Nou as a potential fit at centre-half.

The versatile Alonso, has no experience of playing as a centre-back from his time at Serie A side Fiorentina, but he has never operated there under Antonio Conte at Chelsea since completing a £23 million move in August 2016.

He has surprised in England in a wing-back role, with his efforts in 2017-18 earning him a place in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.

Alonso has also been selected into the senior Spain squad for the first time on the back of consistent outings across English and European competition, with Julen Lopetegui handing him a debut against Argentina in March.

He is now in contention for a seat on the plane to this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia, where he could be given more opportunities to impress.

Barca will be among the interested observers of a man who may soon be given the chance to follow in the footsteps of his father, for making history at Camp Nou in the 1980s.

Chelsea, though, are prepared to resist any approaches and the interest from Barca could lead to them putting improved terms to a man already under contract in west London until 2021.

If that happens, then those at Camp Nou have several other options to turn to, with Ajax’s talented teenager, Matthijs de Ligt another of those to have figured on their transfer radar.