Chelsea star Marcos Alonso has emerged as a target for Crystal Palace, who are staring at the possibility of losing Patrick van Aanholt once his contract expires.
According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are lining up a potential swoop for out of favour Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso amid concerns over the future of current first-choice left-back Patrick van Aanholt.
Van Aanholt, a former Chelsea youth academy product, has been the Eagles preferred option on the left-side of the defence for quite a few years now. However, the Dutchman’s immediate future at the club is uncertain as he is in the final year of his contract with the club.
And while discussions over a new deal are believed to be ongoing, Crystal Palace seem to be putting contingencies in place should negotiations fall through. And, as per the report, Alonso has emerged as a target for Roy Hodgson & co. in case they are in need of replacing van Aanholt in the summer.
The 29-year-old Alonso has been with Chelsea since 2016, having arrived on the deadline day of the summer transfer window from Fiorentina. He essayed a key role in the Blues’ Premier League title triumph under Antonio Conte in his debut campaign and continued to be a regular in the side for the next couple of years.
However, since the arrival of Frank Lampard last season, Alonso has been in and out of the starting XI due to the lack of consistency in his performances. With Emerson Palmieri also not impressing, Lampard opted to use Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back for a number of games last season, before splashing the cash on Ben Chilwell this past summer.
The arrival of the England international has meant Alonso has hardly featured for the west London outfit. Indeed, the Spaniard has just made three appearances this term and hasn’t featured since being taken off at half-time in the 3-3 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
There had been reports of Lampard lashing out at Alonso post the West Brom game and with him not making the matchday squad in the Premier League since then, his future at the club looks bleak. And Crystal Palace might offer him a way out of Stamford Bridge as they look to replace van Aanholt.
However, it must be noted that Alonso is not the only player on the Eagles’ radar with Marseille full-back Jordan Amavi also a target. So, a potential transfer to Selhurst Park is likely to hinge on a lot of factors.
Since joining Chelsea four years ago, Alonso has featured 152 times, scoring 22 goals and assisting 18 more. His contract with the club runs till the summer of 2023 but there is a very good chance that the Spaniard will be on his way out in the near future.
