Chelsea: ‘Favourite’ Xabi Alonso ‘wants’ Real Madrid star with £86m offer to ‘open door’ – report | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso reportedly ‘wants’ to reunite with a Real Madrid star at Chelsea after emerging as the ‘favourite’ to be their next manager.

In recent days, it has emerged that Alonso is one of the leading contenders for Chelsea following Liam Rosenior’s exit last month, with David Ornstein revealing that they are ‘exploring a deal’.

Alonso has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid at the start of this year, but his strong reputation from his stint at Bayer Leverkusen largely remains intact following this tough spell.

Reports in recent months have indicated that he is gearing up for a return to management ahead of next season and has been particularly linked with Chelsea and Liverpool.

But in another update from Ornstein, it has been revealed that Alonso is “not under consideration” at Liverpool, who now “fully intend” to stick with Slot heading into next season.

This could give Chelsea a free run at appointing Alonso, and journalist Nicolo Schira reported on Wednesday afternoon that they have ‘held talks’ with the Spaniard.

Schira said on X: ‘#Chelsea have held talks with Xabi #Alonso as the club’s head coach. He has emerged as the preferred candidate of #CFC’s Board.’

A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Alonso has emerged as the ‘favourite’ to join Chelsea and he ‘wants’ to sign Real Madrid star Arda Guler after working with the talented midfielder earlier this season.

£86m offer to ‘open door’ for Guler as Chelsea’s next boss told to give one star a chance…

The same report claims Guler is not ‘completely untouchable’ at Real Madrid, while ‘an offer close to €100 million (£86m) could seriously open the door to negotiations’.

And Manchester United legend Jaap Stam thinks Chelsea’s next manager already has answers within their current squad, with the club urged to give his compatriot Jorrel Hato more opportunities next season.

“Jorrel Hato is a very talented player. When I saw him play as a centre-back when Liam Rosenior was there, I was quite impressed,” Stam said in an interview with ComeOn.

“I think he even played a big game against Man City, from what I recall. He’s very comfortable on the ball, which is typical for a player from Holland. He needs to be comfortable on the ball and able to dribble into midfield to create an extra man.

“He needs to be quick, which he is, and he’s quite aggressive in his style of play. He can also play as a left-back, where he played for a longer period at Ajax.

“It’s a shame, but that’s how Chelsea operates, bringing in young players, not always giving them an opportunity, and then maybe selling them on when they do well. It’s a shame for a player like him because he needs to play and improve by playing a lot of games.

“Hopefully, he’ll have a bigger next season and a greater impact. Of course, that depends on the manager who comes in. At Chelsea, when a new manager arrives, they need to perform and be successful immediately.

“That often means managers pick more experienced, older players, because they think it’s easier to take the next step with them. I don’t always agree with that.”