Xabi Alonso could do Jose Mourinho a favour by signing £43m Real Madrid outcast | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso is reportedly pushing Chelsea hard to sign out-of-favour Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras, who is likely to struggle for minutes under new boss Jose Mourinho.

The former Manchester United youngster went from playing at Preston North End on loan in 2023 to starting for the biggest team in the world in the space of two years.

After not being given a chance at Old Trafford, the defender had a productive loan at Benfica in 2024, before joining them permanently later that year.

After one full season with the Portuguese giants, Carreras signed for his boyhood club Madrid in a deal worth around £43m on a six-year deal.

For the first half of the 2025-26 season, the 23-year-old was a regular in Los Blancos’ starting XI. But when Alonso got sacked, and Alvaro Arbeloa replaced him in January, Carreras’ game time slowly dropped off.

To make matters worse, Madrid forked out £52m to recruit Chelsea left-back and 2026 World Cup winner with Spain, Marc Cucurella.

After several years at Stamford Bridge, the former Brighton defender wrote on Instagram this week, “Hi Blues, after four seasons together, it’s time to say goodbye. I have had some time to reflect and remember what we have lived together.

“I arrived here as a young lad with the dream of winning many trophies and playing in the Champions League. We had a tough start, it’s true, but with hard work and effort we were able to turn it around.

“Thanks to this club and its high expectations today, I can honestly say that London will always be my home and you will always be part of my story.”

Incidentally, heading into the new season, Carreras is set to be second choice. Will he be patient and fight for his place or will the former Spain Under-21 international seek an Alonso reunion?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Carreras could leave Madrid and head to Chelsea, as he will be ‘relegated to the bench’ following Cucurella’s arrival.

Alonso is said to have ‘not stopped asking and showing his interest’ in Carreras to Chelsea’s hierarchy, with the next few weeks likely to be ‘key’ in whether a deal can come to pass.

The report adds that his sale to the Blues would recover a large part of their investment made to sign Cucurella. There is, however, no mention that he is open to leaving the Santiago Bernabeu outfit.

Chelsea do have Jorrel Hato and Malo Gusto as makeshift left-backs but they could do with an out-and-out left-back ahead of the new season. This, therefore, makes sense and is along the lines of the BlueCo policy of signing young talent.

The efforts to bring in veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson are the opposite of that. Regardless, the aforementioned article is titled ‘Xabi Alonso could do Mourinho a favour’. Whether that happens remains to be seen.