Chelsea transfer news: Xabi Alonso 'ready to gamble' on £8.7m-rated former Real Madrid starlet

Incoming Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso is allegedly interested in signing Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco.

The Spaniard is currently preparing to embark on the challenge of strengthening a Blues first-team squad that has just finished in 10th position in the Premier League table.

Reports have indicated that several Blues players are eager to leave Stamford Bridge, including Enzo Fernandez with Chelsea having already set an asking price for the Argentina international.

As it stands, the general consensus is that Premier League-proven players are a priority for Alonso and the club's recruitment team.

However, as per Fichajes, Alonso is an admirer of Alaves star Blanco and would like to add him to his squad.

Who is Antonio Blanco?

Blanco has reached the age of 25 having played his entire career in Spain, racking up 112 appearances in La Liga.

Most notably, the defensive-minded midfielder has featured on at least 33 occasions during the last three top-flight campaigns.

Furthermore, Blanco is a product of the Real Madrid academy system, and represented the first team on six occasions across 2020-21 and 2021-22.

His four La Liga outings for Real Madrid came in succession between April 18 and May 1 in 2021. Los Blancos did not concede a goal during those fixtures.

That led to a 37-minute outing for Spain in a friendly against Lithuania in June of that year, but Blanco is yet to earn a second cap.

The report alleges that Chelsea may be able to sign Blanco for €10m (£8.67m), largely due to just 12 months remaining on his contract.

How would Chelsea fans react to Blanco signing?

When Alaves have not finished higher than 10th place in La Liga with Blanco a key player in the team, Chelsea fans should be forgiven for not getting too excited.

Question marks will also remain over Blanco's ability at the highest level, with it now being nearly five years since he represented the national team.

On the flip side, a certain level of trust should be placed in Alonso to acquire players who he thinks will benefit the team.

Blanco's experience would arguably make him an upgrade on the likes of Romeo Lavia, who Sports Mole feel should be part of a £250m exodus during the summer transfer window.