Barcelona ready to accelerate pursuit of Chelsea pair Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso | OneFootball

Barcelona will step up their pursuit of Chelsea players Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in the coming days according to a report by Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona’s priority is to sign a right-back and Azpilicueta is the chosen candidate, while Alonso is the targeted left-back. They are 32 and 31 years of age respectively, both Spanish.

Once Todd Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea is approved by the Premier League and the British government and made official today it is understood that Barcelona will begin negotiations in earnest.

It is thought that a fee of €15m is enough to prise Alonso from Stamford Bridge although Barcelona intend to negotiate down that sum. Chelsea are thought to be willing to grant Azpilicueta a relatively cheap departure after ten years of sterling service.

Azpilicueta’s contract at Stamford Bridge had been set to expire this close-season only for it to be automatically extended as the Spaniard played 30 games.