CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Marcos Alonso has asked to leave the club with the player set for a move to Barcelona.
Alonso, 31, was left out of the squad for the Everton game at his own request.
Alonso has asked to leave Chelsea
Chelsea went on to win their Premier League opener 1-0 thanks to a Jorginho penalty, and £62million new boy Marc Cucurella made his debut.
Tuchel has confirmed Chelsea have agreed to let left-back Alonso leave this summer, with Barca his most likely destination.
He said: “He tries to leave and we agreed to this wish and that’s why it would not have made sense to put him on the pitch today.
“He would have been on the pitch otherwise but I think in this situation it was the right thing to do.”
Alonso joined Chelsea in August 2016.
The Spaniard went on to make 154 appearances for the Stamford Bridge club.
Alonso also won a number of trophies with the club, including a Premier League and Champions League title.
Potentially going the other way from Barca to Chelsea is Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutchman is a key transfer target for Thomas Tuchel and is available for a move this summer.
Manchester United are also keen on De Jong, with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag in charge at Old Trafford.
Chelsea reportedly offered £59m plus Alonso for the player.
