According to Diario Sport, Chelsea plan to make a full-fledged bid for Atletico Madrid star Pablo Barrios in January, with Xabi Alonso believing he is the ideal replacement for Enzo Fernandez.
According to Diario Sport, Enzo's departure at the last minute of the transfer window, coupled with the failure to sign Monaco star Ramin Camara, has left a huge void in Chelsea's midfield.
Monaco's last-minute refusal to let go of the Senegalese midfielder put Chelsea in a passive position with no alternatives.
The London club had already agreed to Enzo's transfer to Manchester City, but Chelsea believed it would be unethical to overturn the agreement at the last minute.
Chelsea will now try to fill the void left by Enzo's departure in the winter transfer window. According to reports from England, the club's top target is Pablo Barrios, and Chelsea are prepared to offer €100 million for him.
The problem facing the English team may be that the 23-year-old Spanish midfielder is the core of Simeone's midfield, and it seems difficult for Atletico Madrid to let Barrios leave easily.
Barrios' release clause is a whopping €500 million. Last season was the year he transformed and established his status, but a hamstring injury caused him to miss the final stages of the season, thus ruling him out of the World Cup.
Alonso believes that the Atletico Madrid midfielder is fully capable of succeeding at Stamford Bridge. He also believes that Barrios, with his physicality and creativity, is the ideal partner for Caicedo in midfield.
