Bitter Chelsea ‘BLOCK Barcelona double move for Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta’ in response to La Liga giants prying Jules Conde away from them… as war between clubs escalates following Rafinha and Andreas Christensen deals
- Barcelona have swooped on Sevilla defender Jules Kunde after Chelsea agreed to a deal
- The Blues believed they had completed a £55m move for the French defender
- But as with the signing of Rafinha, Barcelona screwed them over at the last minute
- In response, Chelsea could block the moves of two defenders to the Nou Camp
- Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are wanted by the La Liga giants
By Adam Shergold for MailOnline
Posted: 10:41 am, July 26, 2022 | Updated: 11:51, July 26, 2022
Chelsea have decided to block the transfer of Marcos Alonso to Barcelona after the Catalan club snatched Jules Cunde from under their noses.
According to reports, the Blues are also reluctant to allow fellow defender Cesar Azpilicueta to complete his move to the Nou Camp in what is becoming an increasingly uneasy and complex set of negotiations.
It comes after Barcelona swooped in for £55million for Sevilla defender Kunde, even after Chelsea’s bid was accepted.
Chelsea have blocked Marcos Alonso’s move to Barcelona after the Spanish club snatched defender Jules Kunde from under their noses after Sevilla accepted a £55m bid
Chelsea are likely to block Barcelona’s bid for Cesar Azpilicueta if Kunde joins the Catalans
Barcelona look increasingly likely to pry Jules Conde from Chelsea in a late swoop
Andreas Christensen has already moved from Chelsea to Barcelona this summer, but there are now doubts over whether fellow defenders Alonso and Azpilicueta will follow.
Spanish newspaper Diario Sport reports that tensions between the two clubs have increased following the Kunde deal.
Chelsea believed they had secured the France international after Sevilla agreed to their £55m bid, but Barcelona made their move to upstage them at the eleventh hour.
Barca made a similar move to thwart Chelsea’s move to sign Rafinha from Leeds United earlier in the summer.
Chelsea came close to signing Kunde, 23, last summer and earlier this window in Spain there was a strong belief that a move to Stamford Bridge was imminent once the takeover of Todd Boilley was completed.
Alonso took part in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US despite interest from Barcelona
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel made his frustration with Barcelona’s pursuit of Cesar Azpilicueta clear at the weekend, hinting he could block the transfer
However, the player’s preference is to join Barcelona and the club even briefly had his shirt name available for purchase in their online store. It was quickly deleted.
But Chelsea have reacted with anger and are reportedly ready to block Alonso and Azpilicueta’s exits to the Nou Camp.
They were able to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli this summer to bolster a defense that also saw Antonio Rudiger leave Real Madrid, but will have to either pursue other targets outside of Kunde or retain existing players.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has already strongly hinted that Barcelona’s move for Azpilicueta could be blocked.
Asked at a press conference in Orlando before their 4-0 loss to Arsenal if he was annoyed by Barcelona’s approach, Tuchel replied: “Maybe a bit.”
Chelsea have strengthened their defense with the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli
He added: “It’s a tough question because I’m not sure if I want to give Azpi what he wants.
“At some point it’s about what we want. I just made the comparison of how much we fought for Koulibaly, who is a national player and is about the same age.
“He is an extremely important player for Napoli, but we have a Spanish international who is the captain of Chelsea. I see him maybe at the same level, but Barcelona don’t see him at that level.
So I’m not sure if I want to give him what he wants because he’s a great player.
Rafinha is now at Barcelona after they pipped Chelsea to sign him from Leeds
“We don’t think so much about other clubs. The focus is on us and what we need. I said this to him and I say it to you, which I understand on a personal and career level.
“But I’m not just in this role to give him what he wants. I am a Chelsea manager who wants to do the best for Chelsea.
“He doesn’t like it, but he understands.” It’s difficult for him because the other club is constantly on him.
It all added to the sense of frustration at Stamford Bridge, with Tuchel taking issue with his players’ lack of commitment as they were beaten 4-0 by their London rivals in their final game of the tour.
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