Chelsea ‘increases offer’ to £106m for dream Arsenal target as Alonso ‘changes the conversation’ | OneFootball

Chelsea have made an increased offer to sign top Arsenal transfer target Julian Alvarez as the striker looks to leave Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

The Blues finished last season in tenth position in the Premier League as BlueCo sacked Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior in a turbulent campaign.

Chelsea are without any European competition next season and there have been concerns over them losing some of their best players.

Marc Cucurella remains the only top player to have left so far this summer with the Spain left-back swapping Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid in a deal worth €60m.

Most of their other top players have been branded untouchable by the club with squad players like Alejandro Garnacho likely to leave this summer.

Chelsea have already signed five players this summer with Geovany Quenda, Denner, Dastan Satpaev, Emmanuel Emegha and Marco Palestra all joining.

And now Chelsea are looking to land a striker with reports in Spain claiming they have made a €125m (£106m) ‘increased offer’ to sign Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.

Alvarez has been attracting interest from Premier League champions Arsenal and La Liga winners Barcelona with the Argentina international hoping to secure a move to the latter.

The problem is that Atletico Madrid are refusing to sell to La Liga rivals Barcelona, who are also less likely to get anywhere near their €150m (£127m) asking price.

The report in Spain adds: ‘Xabi Alonso believes Julián Álvarez is a perfect fit for what his  Chelsea side needs. He’s not just looking for a striker who scores goals, but an attacker capable of pressing, moving, linking up with teammates, and creating attacking opportunities. The Argentine has Premier League experience , knows the pace of English football, and wouldn’t require a long adaptation period.

‘For Chelsea , the move would also make strategic sense. The club needs to regain attacking prowess and rebuild around reliable players. Julian offers hard work, a competitive spirit, and experience on the big stage. He’s not just a promising prospect, but a player ready to lead from day one.’

Chelsea ‘has a slight advantage’ over the Catalan giants as Atletico Madrid ‘would rather sell to an English club than give their striker to Barcelona’.

The Blues head coach Alonso ‘has set a figure that changes the conversation’ with Chelsea offering €25m more than Barcelona’s initial offer.

Romano: Chelsea ‘working’ on a deal to sign Lacroix

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday that Chelsea are still “working” on a deal to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix this summer.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “I mentioned Maxence Lacroix at the end of June and he remains on Chelsea’s shortlist.

“Chelsea are still working behind the scenes on a deal for Maxence Lacroix.

“He is one of the most appreciated centre-backs on their list. Contacts have already taken place with the club and with the player’s representatives.

“Chelsea remain very keen on Lacroix. They want to sign one centre-back, possibly two depending on departures, and Lacroix remains one of the top names they are considering.

“Pep Chavarria is a completely different story because he is a left-back or left wing-back, but negotiations for him are also continuing.

“Even if I don’t mention Lacroix every day, you should know the conversations are absolutely ongoing.”