By Betsefy
Barcelona have completed the signing of left-back Marcos Alonso from Chelsea on a free transfer.
The 31-year-old mutually agreed to terminate his contract at Stamford Bridge before penning a one-year deal at Camp Nou until the summer of 2023.
Barca have confirmed that the Spaniard has a buyout clause of €50m (£43.2m) included in his short-term deal, and details of an official presentation of their new signing will be announced in due course.
Alonso will wear the No.17 shirt which has been vacated by striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who moved in the opposite direction to link up with Thomas Tuchel‘s side on deadline day for a fee in the region of £12m.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Alonso expressed his delight on sealing a move to the Catalan giants, and he is pleased to be following in the footsteps of his father Marcos Alonso Sr, who played for the club between 1982 and 1987.
Look who’s in town 👋💥 pic.twitter.com/2uTHAWsnzP
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 2, 2022
“I have been in several talks with Barca throughout my career, and now I am here at last,” the left-back said. “I’m very happy and looking forward to starting. The only team that was ever in my head was Barca. This is the next stage of my career and I can’t wait.
“It is very special to play for the team where my father was such a success. That’s another important reason to be here. I remember when he brought me to see games at Camp Nou, so to be here now is incredible.
“I have had some words with the boss (Xavi). I want to do what he wants of me and what the team needs. I have experience and I want to offer that to the team.
“I know a lot of the players from playing for Spain or because they are old teammates. I’m looking forward to seeing them and sharing a dressing room with them.”
Born in Madrid, Alonso began his career with Barca’s bitter rivals Real Madrid, but he made only one senior appearance for the club before joining Bolton Wanderers in 2020.
© Reuters
Alonso spent three years with both Bolton and Fiorentina, and also had a brief loan spell with Sunderland in between before moving to Chelsea for around £20m in the summer of 2016.
The nine-cap Spain international was an important cog in Antonio Conte‘s Premier League title-winning side in his first season at the club, and he eventually went on to lift the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time at Chelsea.
Alonso leaves West London after six years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 29 goals and providing 23 assists in 212 appearances across all competitions.
The left-back becomes Xavi’s seventh signing of the summer window, after Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Hector Bellerin, the latter of whom arrived on deadline day after mutually terminating his contract at Arsenal.
Both Alonso and Bellerin have already taken part in their first training session with their new Barca teammates, but they have not been selected in Xavi’s 23-man squad for Saturday’s La Liga trip to Sevilla.
