Chelsea are ready to back incoming manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer market this summer, with the club now preparing a formal bid for Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs.
Sunderland Keeper Roefs Emerges as Xabi Alonso’s Top Target at Chelsea
The Dutch shot-stopper has enjoyed a remarkable first Premier League season, helping Sunderland climb into the top half of the table – above Chelsea themselves.
The 23-year-old has kept ten clean sheets, the seventh-best record in the division, and is expected to make the Netherlands World Cup squad this summer.
Sunderland signed Roefs for just £9m last year but now demand around £50m following intense interest from Chelsea and Liverpool. That price tag has not discouraged the Blues, who view the young keeper as a priority signing.
Alonso, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, will take over at Stamford Bridge on a four-year contract after Liam Rosenior lasted only 106 days in the job. Unlike his predecessors, Alonso arrives as a manager rather than a head coach, giving him real influence over recruitment.
The two-time Champions League winner inherits a Chelsea squad in danger of finishing in the bottom half. Goalkeeper remains one of the few positions the club has neglected recently, with both Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen making costly errors this season.
Gary Neville has urged Alonso to sign four new players – a goalkeeper, two defenders and a striker. The Manchester United legend said Chelsea need experience and physicality down the spine.
Jody Morris, Frank Lampard’s former assistant, believes Chelsea should have signed Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer. The Blues previously chased Mike Maignan but failed to get a deal done.
Interim boss Calum McFarlane will lead Chelsea in their final two league games against Tottenham and Sunderland before Alonso arrives in July. A bid for Roefs could arrive well before then.
