Chelsea have identified Pep Chavarria as the ideal replacement for Marc Cucurella, but are struggling to reach an agreement with Rayo Vallecano.
Cucurella left Stamford Bridge last month after Real Madrid reached an agreement worth £50 million for the Spain international.
Although there is hope Jorrel Hato can continue his development in defence, Xabi Alonso has personally requested the Blues sign Chavarria.
Talks with Rayo Vallecano haven't been straightforward though, and now more details have come to light.
Chelsea struggling to reach agreement with Rayo Vallecano for Pep Chavarria
According to BBC Sport, Rayo Vallecano are adamant they will only let Chavarria leave if his £42.4 million release clause is met.
This has proven to be a major obstacle for Chelsea having so far only offered half that sum.
There is a feeling inside Rayo Vallecano that despite Chavarria playing for a mid-table La Liga club, he is performing at the same level as Cucurella.
Pep Chavarria in La Liga 2025-26 | Stat |
|---|---|
Appearances | 33 |
Starts | 29 |
Avg. Mins per Game | 81 |
Avg. Distance Covered per Game | 9.8 km |
Top Speed | 36.3 km/h |
Goals | 1 |
Assists | 2 |
Clean Sheets | 9 |
Avg. Tackles per Game | 1.6 |
Avg. Ball Recoveries per Game | 4.3 |
Avg. Clearances per Game | 2.6 |
Avg. Dribbled Past per Game | 0.5 |
Although the 28-year-old wants to complete a transfer to Stamford Bridge, he still has four years left on his contract at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas Stadium meaning his parent club are in total control.
Rayo Vallecano are also in a relatively unique financial position and aren't strapped for cash so can comfortably reject offers that don't match their valuation.
In fact, their strong financial position means they're liable to pay 25 per cent tax on any additional profit generated from Chavarria's potential sale. Another reason they won't settle for less than the defender's full release clause.
How much control Xabi Alonso has will soon become clear
Chavarria has been handpicked by Alonso, and he was promised to have a lot of say in the Blues' transfer activity, so it's going to be interesting to see if the club will cave to Rayo Vallecano's demands.
On the flip side, if Chelsea end up walking away from negotiations and look back into the market for an alternative left-back target, Alonso's influence may not be as strong as first thought.
Chelsea cannot risk going against their new manager. They must look to bring in as many of the 44-year-old's preferred targets as possible.
Alonso's success has been built on clubs, especially Bayer Leverkusen, feeding him players who can seamlessly fit into his demanding and fluid system.
BlueCo's failure to get this summer's transfer window right will set Alonso up for failure, and that would inevitability lead to the club making little-to-no progress.
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