Kylian Mbappe told Xabi Alonso to sign the perfect player for Chelsea, but the transfer didn’t happen.
According to reports, Xabi Alonso reached out to Kylian Mbappe before giving the green light to Chelsea’s late bid for Manu Kone, but a surprising twist at the last minute caused the deal to fall through.
After Enzo Fernandez left for Manchester City, Chelsea’s team worked hard to find the right replacement. On Tuesday evening, they agreed on a £47 million deal to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco, but Monaco pulled out at the last moment, even though both clubs had a written agreement.
Before that, Chelsea almost signed the highly-rated Roma midfielder Manu Kone. French publication Foot Mercato shared some behind-the-scenes details. Chelsea’s head coach, Xabi Alonso, spoke directly with Kone and was sure he was the perfect fit to replace Fernandez. He even checked with Kylian Mbappe—who played with Kone internationally and who Alonso managed briefly at Real Madrid—who said great things about Kone.
After a first bid of around €52 million (£44.7m) fell short, Chelsea agreed to Roma’s asking price of €70 million (£60.1m) on September 1st. Unfortunately, Roma couldn’t find a replacement player in time, which was needed to complete the deal. They tried signing AC Milan’s Youssouf Fofana and Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but couldn’t get it done. Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini also blocked the move, even though Kone and Chelsea had agreed on personal terms.
On September 2nd, reports said Chelsea got in touch with former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who is currently a free agent after leaving Al Ettifaq in June. If he joins Chelsea, it would be his third Premier League club, after Newcastle and Liverpool.
Earlier this summer, Xabi Alonso wanted more experience in his squad and brought in 35-year-old Danny Welbeck and 36-year-old former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. Since BlueCo took over Chelsea in 2022, only two players over 30 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kalidou Koulibaly – have joined the club.