Alonso closing in on Chelsea deal for £30m star

Chelsea are shaping up nicely ahead of the 2026/27 season, when all eyes will be fixed on Xabi Alonso and his newly-installed foundations at Stamford Bridge.

Last year was one to forget for the Blues, who could only finish tenth in the Premier League after sacking Enzo Maresca and then Liam Rosenior. Things fell apart, and the future looked grim, with Bournemouth, Sunderland and Brighton all boarding the European platform while Chelsea watched from the platform.

But now, optimism is in the air once again, with Arsenal pipped to the signing of Morgan Rogers, a game-changer who could fuel an ambitious fightback toward the title and maybe revive Cole Palmer too.

Why Morgan Rogers can revive Cole Palmer

Last season, Joao Pedro finished the campaign as Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions, having bagged 20 goals. Unfortunately, the outfit’s wider attacking crop left a lot to be desired.

Rogers will change all that. Across two-and-a-half years at Villa Park under Unai Emery, the 23-year-old scored 31 goals and supplied 29 assists, growing into his skin as a focal point over the past two years. He is a different kind of profile to someone like Palmer – who is his good friend and played a part in enticing him to Stamford Bridge – but that could pay dividends for Alonso as he tries to rekindle this team.

Palmer fell by the wayside last year. To the dismay of many, he was ommited from Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad this summer; he paled in comparison to before.

Tuchel wasn’t absurd in his decison, though. Palmer only created three big chances in the Premier League, and he lacked the physicality and sharpness of previous years in blue. Rogers could help restore him, adding energy and impetus down the left while combining with a youngster he grew up with and connected with in Manchester City’s youth academy.

He’s come a long way, and will surely go further still, with the Blues landing a versatile and ferocious attacking midfielder who has been assigned a role on the left side of Alonso’s attacking line, where he will run and run and run, digging a hole into the opposition box and striking on goal.

Chelsea have hit the jackpot here. Rogers is the perfect profile for Alonso’s vision, and with that in mind, the decision-makers have decided to push ahead and sign an understudy with many shared properties with the Three Lions superstar.

Chelsea closing in on signing a mini Morgan Rogers

Rogers is a stunning signing, but Chelsea need more if they are to bridge the gap on those ahead of them in the Premier League. Moving forward here requires a deft touch, someone who can support Rogers without disrupting his flow down Chelsea’s left side.

Well, according to The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace, Chelsea have emerged as favourites in the race to sign coveted Bayer Leverkusen prospect Kerim Alajbegovic, who is mooted for a £30m switch to Stamford Bridge

There is a sense that the Blues are closing in on a deal, with Wallace’s report noting that he is ‘set to move’ to west London, with Alonso ‘enthusiastic’ about that potential arrival.

Juventus are among the rivals to have shown a vested interest in the Bosnian superstar, only 18 years old, but Chelsea are so often the alpha male in the transfer market, and they are proving that once again here, set to sign the attacking midfielder, should all go to plan.

Chelsea like to sign up-and-coming talent. It is their business model, and one that has served them well over the years. Alajbegovic might enter a room filled with exciting prospects, but he has shown on the biggest stage of them all that he has what it takes, and he could be a welcome addition now that Garnacho is popping off to Villa. That’s without considering Jadon Sancho’s likely exit this summer too.

The emergent World Cup star is the real deal, hailed as a “future icon of Bosnian football” by talent scout Jacek Kulig. Zlatan Ibrahimovic also waved lyrical over the teenager’s performances on the global stage this summer, hailing his technique and skill, yes, fine, good, but centring his praise on that rare and indescribable quality: personality.

Alajbegovic plays football with unfettered freedom. He dances and powers his way into the danger area with the sureness of a seasoned superstar. In that, he is similar to Rogers, and would be the England man’s perfect understudy over the next couple of years.

At the World Cup, he enjoyed a leading role, now only scoring that stunning strike against Qatar in the group stage, but starting three times all told, impressing with his footwork and natural physicality when on the ball. He is similar to Rogers in that way, always looking to beat his man, make something happen.

Last season in Austria, on loan with RB Salzburg, the teenager scored nine goals across 22 starts, winning many duels in a combative illustration of his strength and desire to graft.

The transfer strategies being employed by Chelsea’s new manager speak of a marked change in strategy, the Blues reshaping under Alonso’s wing, perhaps ready to return to the three-man backline that once won them a Premier League title under Antonio Conte.

Alajbegovic would only play a supporting role, but he does operate in similar conditions to Rogers, running with pace and power down the wing, but inclined to arc inward and prioritise his shooting. He aligns with the new vision at Stamford Bridge, and he also has the perfect role model to learn from.

Rogers will take centre stage in the Premier League next season, combining with Palmer’s elegant playmaking to rebuild Chelsea as a sharp attacking outfit. If Rogers’ emergence in London goes off without a hitch, it should bring Palmer back out of his shell, and that in turn could hand Alajbegovic a creative partner to dance with as he establishes himself.

While he won’t usurp the Three Lions men, Alajbegovic has the potential to match them down the line, and so it’s clear to see why Alonso is so desperate to snap up a mini Rogers ahead of his first term in London.