Marcos Alonso 'to be offered two-year extension by Barcelona'

Barcelona are reportedly preparing to offer Marcos Alonso a two-year contract extension.

The 31-year-old was allowed to leave Chelsea on a free transfer in order to complete a move to Camp Nou late in the summer window, although he only penned a one-year deal with the Catalan giants.

Alonso has been a regular for Xavi's side this season, making 12 appearances in all competitions, seven of which have been in La Liga, while he has played five times in the Champions League.

The Spain international has largely operated as a central defender this season, with his versatility key for the club due to their injury problems in that area of the field.

According to Marca, Barcelona wanted to hand Alonso a three-year contract over the summer, but their financial problems meant that only a year could be offered.

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The report claims that a decision has already been made to hand the defender a two-year extension, with head coach Xavi pleased with his performances this season.

Barcelona are allegedly yet to decide whether to offer Alonso a straight two-year deal or one season with the second linked to various objectives being achieved.

Alonso started his career with Real Madrid, but he only made one first-team appearance for the capital giants before making the move to Bolton Wanderers in 2010.

The defender then represented Fiorentina ahead of a switch to Chelsea, and he made 212 appearances for the Blues during a successful spell, contributing 29 goals and 23 assists in the process.

Alonso was linked with Barcelona for much of the summer, and the London club let him leave on a free transfer in order to complete a move to Camp Nou.

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Despite being heavily involved for the Catalan giants this term, the defender has not been included in the Spain squad for the 2022 World Cup.

The last of Alonso's nine caps for La Roja came against the Czech Republic in June, and he was also overlooked despite Jose Gaya's withdrawal, with Alejandro Balde instead called up for the tournament in Qatar.

Memphis Depay, Hector Bellerin, Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets also only have contracts with Xavi's side until the end of the campaign.

Roberto is expected to sign an extension, but Memphis, Bellerin and Busquets are all being tipped to depart, with the latter potentially moving to the MLS.