Jose Mourinho eyes Chelsea mainstay as his ‘priority’ signing – report | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has taken over the reins as Chelsea’s new coach and is already planning the squad and his dynamics for the upcoming season.

The revolutionary thinker that he is, Alonso is already looking to change things up at the London-based side and has a clear idea of the players he requires to translate his tactical ideas into practical success.

One such player that Alonso sees as a non-negotiable part of his plans is Real Madrid target Enzo Fernandez, and he has reportedly made it his personal mission to keep the player at Chelsea and away from the Spanish capital.

Mourinho’s priority signing

As reported by Rodra (h/t The Madrid Zone) in a recent update, Jose Mourinho has also narrowed down on the Argentine star as his top priority among all the options on Real Madrid’s list, leading to a complicated situation.

Mourinho has identified his priority target. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)

The Portuguese coach has reportedly informed the club that Fernandez is his ‘priority’ midfield signing for the summer. He believes that Fernandez is exactly the profile Real Madrid are lacking in the department.

For a long time, Chelsea were rumoured to be open to the departure for a fee of around €150 million, but Alonso’s latest stance may change their position.

Real Madrid, needless to say, have to keep a few negotiation tricks up their sleeve and move fast.

Dependent on exits

While it is indeed Real Madrid’s priority to sign a new world-class midfielder, there is also talk that the move is closely tied to a departure from the first team.

Xabi Alonso is keen on keeping the Argentine midfielder. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

Given how fast the club have moved in the transfer window so far, there is a need to balance the books out with the right departures, and Mourinho and Co. are looking to offload a big midfield name.

Eduardo Camavinga, at this point, appears best placed to leave despite being opposed to a departure himself.

With Mourinho making it clear that he does not count on him, however, he may well be forced to change his stance.

Once a departure is processed, the club will likely immediately get to work on the signing of Fernandez, who is now the top priority.