Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is not one to go into detail on transfers or discuss players at other clubs.
However, in an exchange with BBC Sport, he assessed how Chelsea’s recruitment team have performed against his request to reduce the size of the squad while increasing its quality, a process that dates back to the interview stage before he joined the club.
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“We are quite close to the plan we had,” he said, adding: “We will see where we finish, whether it is fully executed or whether there are still things to be done, or things we could not do.”
His comments align with information emerging from Stamford Bridge about the club’s recruitment strategy.
Chelsea believe any sale, particularly one involving Enzo Fernandez joining Manchester City, must leave them stronger than before.
They insist City have yet to make direct club-to-club contact, although much of the groundwork for a deal can be carried out through intermediaries. Chelsea are understood to want more than the initial £120m valuation discussed earlier in the summer after the FA Cup winners missed the club’s deadline.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to strengthen elsewhere, with deals for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor agreed on Thursday.
There is also interest in Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, although the Ligue 1 club are seeking what sources describe as an “incredible” offer after rejecting a bid from Crystal Palace earlier in the transfer window.
Chelsea have made significant progress in selling or loaning out players this week, but still have 36 senior players on their books.
Asked how he hopes to manage the numbers, Alonso added: “I don’t have a number, I have an idea. We will be close to that. Hopefully, all of them will feel involved. We are all in the same boat and everyone is pulling in the same direction.”
Defender Mamadou Sarr has today joined Real Sociedad on loan and Chelsea have accepted a £3m offer from Swiss club Servette for striker David Datro Fofana.
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