Chelsea pull transfer U-turn with Alonso offered golden late opportunity

Chelsea have once again been among the busiest Premier League clubs during a summer of major change at Stamford Bridge.

Xabi Alonso has been backed heavily since replacing Enzo Maresca, with Chelsea spending more than £280 million on permanent arrivals before accounting for several undisclosed fees.

Morgan Rogers has been the headline addition.

Chelsea paid Aston Villa £117million for the England international, making him the most expensive Premier League signing of the summer.

He made an immediate impact by scoring during their opening day 3-2 victory over Fulham.

Maxence Lacroix also arrived from Crystal Palace for £51 million following Levi Colwill’s serious knee injury, and the Frenchman’s signing allowed Chelsea to continue clearing out their defensive department.

Trevoh Chalobah has joined Como permanently, while Axel Disasi completed a loan move to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda have added two exciting options on the right, while Pep Chavarria was recruited from Rayo Vallecano following Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid.

Chelsea have moved away from exclusively targeting young players, too.

Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck provide considerable Premier League experience, giving Alonso two senior figures capable of supporting a squad still dominated by emerging talent.

There could yet be further significant business.

Man City are preparing an approach for Enzo Fernández, while Chelsea have also agreed a deal to sell Liam Delap to Nottingham Forest and could also offload Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa.

That activity means the squad could still change substantially before the window closes, despite the enormous number of deals already completed.

Chelsea pull transfer U-turn after being offered golden late opportunity

Chelsea had not been expected to sign a goalkeeper.

The club previously indicated that Robert Sanchez, Mike Penders and their existing options were sufficient for the new campaign.

However, Sanchez came under renewed scrutiny following an unconvincing performance against Fulham, and an unexpected opportunity has emerged.

TalkSPORT journalist Ben Jacobs backs other reports that Chelsea are considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

REUTERS/Vincent Carchietta

The Argentina international has been offered to the Blues after Villa completed the £30 million signing of Zion Suzuki from Parma, with Alonso’s side subsequently performing a U-turn when it comes to signing a new keeper.

Martinez wants a new challenge and was left out of Villa’s squad for their 4-0 defeat at Brighton. Chelsea have now held discussions with his representatives as they explore whether a late transfer is possible.

Villa reportedly informed Juventus that they wanted around £8.6 million.

The Italian club eventually chose former Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, leaving Martinez without an obvious destination.

At that price, Chelsea can afford to seriously consider the move.

Martinez is 33, but he would bring leadership, personality and experience of winning major trophies. His arrival could give Penders more time to develop while immediately placing pressure on Sanchez.

There would be questions about how comfortably Martinez fits Alonso’s possession game, particularly when Chelsea build under pressure.

However, his commanding presence and ability in major matches would offer qualities their goalkeeper group currently lacks.

Chelsea were not planning another change in goal, but Martinez’s availability may prove too tempting to ignore.