Report: Chelsea plot £101m Barcelona double raid for defender and midfielder
Chelsea are reportedly preparing an ambitious January move for Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong, with Xabi Alonso keen to strengthen two areas of his squad in one major Barcelona raid.
The Blues have had an inconsistent start to the season, and injuries have only increased the need for reinforcements.
Reece James is set for another spell on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery, while Chelsea are still short of experience and control in midfield following Enzo Fernandez’s summer departure.
That has pushed two familiar Barcelona names back onto the agenda.
Alonso wants £101m Kounde and De Jong double deal
According to Football365, reports in Spain claim Alonso wants Chelsea to spend around €120million (£101m) on the Barcelona pair in January.
Kounde is viewed as a potential solution at right-back following James’ latest injury. Chelsea could reportedly offer around €55m for the France international, with Barcelona prepared to listen because he is no longer an automatic starter under Hansi Flick.
De Jong would address a different problem.
Chelsea never properly replaced Fernandez after his deadline-day move to Manchester City, and the Dutch midfielder could cost around €65m.
Both players are currently considered obtainable if the right offers arrive.
Chelsea need quality more than another spending spree
Frenkie de Jong in action for Barcelona (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
On paper, both transfers make sense.
Kounde can play at right-back or centre-back and would immediately give Alonso more defensive flexibility. De Jong, meanwhile, would bring composure, ball progression and experience to a midfield that has sometimes lacked control.
European football expert Andy Brassell told talkSPORT that De Jong could make Chelsea “immeasurably better”, particularly because of his ability to operate in several midfield roles.
The bigger question is whether Chelsea really need to spend another £100m-plus in January after already investing heavily during the summer. Their squad does not lack numbers. It lacks the right balance.
If Alonso genuinely believes Kounde and De Jong are the players who fix that, then spending big can be justified. But Chelsea cannot keep solving every problem simply by adding more expensive players.
January should be about precision rather than volume and these two deals would certainly be expensive tests of that strategy.
Chelsea have now done something remarkable three times in just seven league games
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