SHARE

Barcelona are set to offer Marcos Alonso a new contract at the club, despite him only signing from Chelsea in the summer.

That’s according to Marca, who say the Spaniard will be offered a new deal as part of the Catalan club’s latest efforts to balance the books.

They say that Alonso, who joined on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, is set to be offered a two-year deal at the Nou Camp.

The defender was a longstanding target for Barcelona in the summer, with Xavi making it clear he wanted him ‘at all costs’. Negotiations with Chelsea proved to be complicated but a deal was eventually struck when the Blues went for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.

However, it was ‘striking’ that Alonso only signed a one-year deal at the time, despite the initial plan having been for him to sign a three-year deal.

Financial Fair Play issues prevented that from happening but now those restrictions have loosened, and the decision has been made to offer Alonso an extension.

While he has not yet offered his best level at the club, there have been mitigating circumstances causing that, such as him being forced to play at centre-back due to injuries.

He has ‘improved considerably’ as the games have gone by, though, and this has been noted by those in charge, who have already decided to offer him a new deal and now simply need to find the time to do so.