Real Madrid are focusing in on a top center midfielder to add creativity, control, and defensive quality to the base of the team, and while signing a player capable of all of that at the Real Madrid level is not easy, Jose Mourinho has found his target of choice in Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez, who was a 121 million euro signing for Todd Boehly's Blues a few years ago.
Enzo continues to enhance his reputation at World Cups, and Real Madrid are sure that they want him. But they also know that Chelsea are ambitious about getting a top fee for Enzo despite his clear desire to want out and to only want Real Madrid. Real just raised some funds by selling Nico Paz to Como for 60 million euros, and they could still raise more by selling Aurelien Tchouameni, whom Enzo would presumably replace as Real's starting No. 6.
Well, the path to signing Fernandez may have gotten a little bit easier, because Chelsea are closing in on the surprising signing of a former Arsenal and Bundesliga star who is a proven Premier League player, having just come off a great season in keeping Sunderland up in the top flight.
Xabi Alonso is getting a big London reunion
According to Fabrizio Romano, Xabi Alonso's former Bayer Leverkusen midfield general Granit Xhaka looks poised to be a "surprise signing" for the Blues this summer. Xhaka has made it clear that he wants to go back to London and reunite with Alonso. Fab says "deal on", not in the least because Xhaka will accept pretty much "any" contract to play for Alonso again.
On top of that, Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg goes so far as to say that there is a "full agreement" between Chelsea and Xhaka on personal terms, including salary and contract length. Negotiations between Chelse and Sunderland on a final transfer fee remain ongoing, though Plettenberg expects the fee to be similar to what the Black Cats paid to Leverkusen, which was a modest 20 milion euros.
Xhaka has shown that he is still capable of being one of the top midfielders in the Premier League and could even start for Chelsea, though the Blues would probably just have him as a backup, given their aims to return to the Champions League.
But by signing a favorite of Alonso's, Chelsea are opening the floor further for Enzo Fernandez to join Real Madrid and Alonso's former employers. The Xhaka signing is great news for Real Madrid, because it makes the midfield more crowded and adds a veteran player in the same position as Enzo, increasing the openness of the Blues to making this blockbuster sale happen.
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