Chelsea's ongoing move to sign Achraf Hakimi has taken a fresh twist, with the club reportedly offering up Marcos Alonso in exchange for the sought-after Inter Milan defender.
The Blues are keen to bring in strong competition for Reece James at right-back and have identified Hakimi as their priority target in this position, with Thomas Tuchel intent on strengthening for the new season.
It's understood the 2020/21 Champions League winners have already lodged an ambitious bid of around £51.5million for the Morocco international plus one of Emerson Palmieri or Andreas Christensen, who are deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
Davide Zappacosta, Tammy Abraham and Mateo Kovacic have also been put forward as potential makeweights in an agreement and Alonso is another name now being linked as Chelsea ramp up their pursuit of a swap deal.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Inter have been far more receptive to the latest proposal including Alonso than the previous offers involving the likes of Emerson and Christensen.
It's claimed the 30-year-old 'may be the right profile' to offer up, with Inter on the hunt for an experienced full-back after Ashley Young departed the San Siro to rejoin Aston Villa this week.
The Serie A champions must sell at least one of their high-profile players to balance their books this summer which is what pushed Antonio Conte to quit as their manager last month.
Alonso has made 166 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Fiorentina back in 2016, helping the club win the Premier League, the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup.
The Spain international, who still has two years remaining on his contract in west London, has struggled for regular playing time following Ben Chilwell's arrival.
Earlier this week, Hakimi's agent confirmed that Inter had decided to cash in on the Moroccan in order to generate funds.
'The only one who is going to leave Inter for now is Hakimi, who I also represent,' Alejandro Camano said.
'With Lautaro Martinez there is still no clear situation but Hakimi is going.'
Hakimi, 22, played a key role last term as Inter won Serie A for the first time in over a decade, finishing the season with a 12-point difference between themselves and fierce rivals AC Milan.
The former Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund man shone both in defence and attack and notched up seven goals and eights assists across the Italian top-flight campaign.
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