Chelsea have identified the £80m Premier League star as Xabi Alonso’s top target

Chelsea have now identified an “absolutely impressive” attacker as their front-runner for the summer transfer window, following the arrival of Xabi Alonso.

Alonso will join Chelsea in the summer

Alonso is not scheduled to start work until July 1, but will have a say in summer recruitment, according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, who shared some interesting details about the appointment to X.

“It was Chelsea’s idea for Alonso to have the title of “manager” instead of “head coach” because they were impressed with his leadership qualities. He did not ask for the title of manager. Alonso will not be married to play three back at Chelsea.

“He used that team at Bayer Leverkusen because it suited the players he had in his team. He is very happy playing with four players at the back. Chelsea will play different games under him.”

Solhekol also added: “Alonso will be involved in recruitment and Chelsea expect to sign 3/4 players this summer, including a defender.”

A new striker may be needed, with Liam Delap enduring a difficult campaign, scoring just one Premier League goal, while the Blues have also just gone five games without a league goal for the first time since 1912.

Chelsea identify the Premier League star as a front-runner

According to a report from TEAMtalk, BlueCo remain committed to signing a top-class striker in the upcoming window, with Brentford striker Igor Thiago identified as a top target, but the deal could be expensive, with a price tag of around £80m recently.

Chelsea are keen to sign the Brazilian, who was recently named the best player in the Premier League, and it is believed that he could play a major role in turning around the title contenders.

Brentford have been one of the most impressive packages of the season, with Keith Andrews’ side fighting for Europe, and the manager praised Thiago back in January, saying: “He was upset [against Bournemouth]. He is always changing his game and wants to learn, which is important. If we can add more strings to his bow, and how we can get him into the game, he’s going to be a lot better.”

The 24-year-old has featured in every Premier League game this season, underlining his importance to Andrews, and looks set to finish second in the goalscoring charts.

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