Barcelona 'expected to confirm Marcos Alonso arrival this week'

Barcelona are reportedly likely to confirm the arrival of Marcos Alonso from Chelsea before the end of the week.

The Spain international has been strongly linked with the Catalan giants over the last few weeks, with Xavi's side seemingly identifying him as their number one choice to provide competition for Jordi Alba at left-back during the 2022-23 campaign.

Alonso was not involved in Chelsea's Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday, with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel confirming that an exit was imminent.

"That is the case, he tries to leave and we agreed to this switch, and that's why it would have never made sense to have him on the pitch today. It's the right thing to do," Tuchel told reporters.

Barcelona are said to have agreed a deal in the region of €10m (£8.4m) for the full-back, who only has 11 months left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

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According to Marca, the agreement is 'practically complete', and the Catalan outfit are expected to confirm his arrival before the end of the week.

"They are under contract at Chelsea and we respect this as well as the new owner. I don't want to talk about players who belong to other teams. I respect Cesar and Marcos as footballers," Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently told CBS Sports when asked about both Cesar Azpilicueta and Alonso.

"They are very, very good players. They show their quality and talent at Chelsea. But I don't want to talk about them as a matter of respect for Chelsea."

Azpilicueta had also been strongly linked with Barcelona, but the versatile defender has now ended the speculation surrounding his future by signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

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Alonso benefitted from Ben Chilwell's absence through injury to feature on a regular basis during the 2021-22 campaign, playing 46 times in all competitions for Chelsea.

Meanwhile, he has made 211 appearances for the Blues since his arrival from Fiorentina in 2016, contributing 29 goals and 23 assists in the process during a successful spell.

"On paper, I have a contract for one more year and that is where we're at today. I've already said that I would like to play in Spain again, but it doesn't depend entirely on me," Alonso recently told reporters when questioned on the speculation surrounding his future.

"I can't complain about anything at Chelsea, but the desire to play in Spain is there. It doesn't depend entirely on me and I'm happy at Chelsea, honestly."

Barcelona have ongoing financial problems but have still managed to make a number of high-profile signings this summer, bringing in Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.