Chelsea legend gives Xabi Alonso green light for Enzo Fernandez-Aurelien Tchouameni swap deal

Chelsea should prioritise a swap deal between Enzo Fernandez and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni over Eduardo Camavinga during the summer transfer window, a Blues legend has exclusively told Sports Mole.

Ever since Fernandez opened the door to a move to Madrid - without specifically stating that he wanted to represent Real - speculation over a deal to take the Argentine to the Spanish capital has been rife.

Fernandez was memorably slapped with a two-game internal ban by then-manager Liam Rosenior, but his overall 2025-26 campaign was a positive one, as he amassed 15 goals and seven assists from 54 games in all tournaments.

The 25-year-old remains contracted to the Blues for another seven years, so Chelsea are under no pressure to let him leave for less than the mammoth £104.6m they paid for him back in early 2023, and the Blues are apparently demanding £125m to sanction a sale.

As Los Blancos are not minded to fork out a nine-figure sum, they are supposedly weighing up a player-plus-cash deal involving either Tchouameni or Camavinga in order to prise Fernandez away from West London.

Chelsea legends calls for Aurelien Tchoaumeni-Enzo Fernandez swap deal

If Chelsea are to agree to such a proposal, ex-Blues defender Frank Leboeuf has urged them to consider signing Tchouameni over Camavinga, as the former would be a more natural fit alongside Moises Caicedo.

"If Enzo does want to leave then bye bye, I would take a swap deal with either Camavinga or Tchouameni," Leboeuf told Sports Mole in partnership with William Hill, one of the best World Cup betting sites.

"Both very good players and ideal for Chelsea. My preference would be Tchouameni as I think he can work better with Caicedo and I think Camavinga is a still very young, but that would be a great idea with the swap deal and [Xabi] Alonso would be very happy."

Tchouameni will enter the final two years of his Real Madrid contract this summer, while Camavinga's deal at the Bernabeu runs until the summer of 2029.

Xabi Alonso's history with Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga

Leboeuf's claim that Tchouameni would work better for Chelsea than Camavinga is further backed up by Xabi Alonso's use of the Frenchman during his short-lived time at Real.

Tchouameni was a consistent pick in the Spaniard's first XI, starting 16 La Liga matches and six Champions League games under the former Liverpool midfielder, and making 32 appearances in total.

Meanwhile, Camavinga played just 19 times under Alonso and was restricted to a mere five La Liga starts, which contributed to his omission from France's World Cup 2026 squad.

The 23-year-old was not helped by ankle and hamstring injuries, but the evidence suggests that Tchouameni would slot easier into an Alonso Chelsea system than his compatriot.

Frank Lebouef was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill, who offer the latest World Cup winner odds.