It is hard to see how new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso can be a happy man right now.
The Blues sold one of their best defenders, Marc Cucurella, to Real Madrid and have not done much business in the transfer window in terms of incomings.
Chelsea are interested in signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa this summer, but that is not a deal you would bet your house on.
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Morgan Rogers inching closer to Arsenal move
Arsenal appear to be in the driver’s seat for Rogers’ signature in a blow for Alonso and Chelsea.
According to FootballTransfers, Arsenal are on the verge of agreeing personal terms with Rogers as they look to win the race for the attacking midfielder.
Rogers is currently with England at the World Cup, so a deal does not appear to be imminent. It means Chelsea still have time to get in the player’s ear and convince him to move to Stamford Bridge instead.
Still, that is going to be very hard after failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, while his price tag could also be a problem.
Following Elliot Anderson’s £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, it is thought that Villa have now slapped a £130m price tag on Rogers.
Andrey Santos’ imminent exit also a blow for Xabi Alonso
Andrey Santos’ impending move to Premier League rivals Manchester United is also a blow for Alonso.
The midfielder is a very reliable player and proved that last season, rarely letting Chelsea down when he played.
Defensively, Santos was pretty solid in the middle. As a pivot, Santos and Moises Caicedo are sturdier than the Ecuadorian and Enzo Fernandez.
Ultimately, with Cucurella already gone, Santos set to follow him out of the exit door and Rogers more likely to join Arsenal, this July could hardly have gone any worse for Alonso. It is early days, but you can already envision conflict between Alonso and the Chelsea board over transfers in the near future.
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