Real Madrid reject Chelsea's £21m bid for Carreras as Alonso targets Cucurella replacement

Chelsea’s opening bid of £21 million for Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras has been rejected, with the Spanish club demanding at least £43 million for the 23-year-old, according to Spanish outlet Sport.

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is understood to have personally requested the signing, viewing Carreras as the ideal replacement for Marc Cucurella, who departed Stamford Bridge to join Real Madrid this summer. The two worked together briefly at the Bernabeu before Alonso’s dismissal, and the Chelsea boss is hoping the promise of regular first-team football will be enough to convince Carreras to make the move to England.

Carreras only arrived at Real Madrid last year following an impressive spell at Benfica, but has struggled to nail down a starting berth at the Bernabeu. Despite not being a regular starter, Madrid are unwilling to sanction a cut-price exit, with their £43 million valuation representing more than double Chelsea’s initial offer.

Chelsea do have some cover at left-back through Netherlands international Jorrel Hato, who joined the club last summer for £36 million, but Alonso is keen to add further depth to the position. The former Manchester United academy product — who never made a senior appearance for the club — would provide competition and a profile that fits the style Alonso wants to implement.

Alonso, whose Bayer Leverkusen side won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, has spoken openly about his ambitions at Chelsea since taking charge. “To be part of that process, how we want to play, how we want to approach a game, that’s my goal,” he said. “I want to be there in Europe. To be at Chelsea you need that ambition and hunger.”

The Spaniard also made clear the demands he will place on his squad. “We need hunger, passion, we need to want to improve,” Alonso added. “The Premier League is so competitive. We need to prepare ourselves, we need to be determined in the details. But the most important bit is our game.”

Chelsea’s transfer activity has drawn sustained criticism since BlueCo’s takeover, with a number of expensive signings failing to deliver. Alonso is reported to have been granted more autonomy over recruitment decisions than any of his recent predecessors at the club.