Tension as Thomas Tuchel blocks Marina Granovskaia plan to sell key player

Reports in London claim tension is brewing at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia’s move to sell Marcos Alonso to Barcelona.

Granovskaia was open to selling left-back Marcos Alonso to Barcelona, but Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has stepped in to block the move.

According to the Express, the Chelsea manager and transfer chief aren’t seeing eye to eye this summer.

Barcelona are on the hunt for a left-back this summer as they look to build strength-in-depth, and had reportedly earmarked Alonso as a top target for the position.

The Spaniard saw limited Premier League opportunities last season, with new manager Thomas Tuchel preferring Ben Chilwell at left-back.

Alonso made just 17 appearances in all competitions across the campaign, comfortably the fewest of any of his five seasons at Chelsea.

But despite the 30-year-old’s lack of playing time, Tuchel is keen to keep Alonso at the club due to his tactical flexibility, with the player able to play as a full-back, wing-back or on the left of a back three.

And, when Barcelona came calling, Tuchel stepped in to override Granovskaia and insist that he wants to keep Alonso “at all costs”, according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona, who are expected to complete a sale of Junior Firpo to Leeds, will have to turn their left-back focus elsewhere. While Chelsea’s transfer tsar will also be looking to rediscover her midas touch.

Granovskaia’s ruthless spending last year saw the club bring in Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech before many of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals had even got the ball rolling on their transfer window business.

But the 2021 transfer operations aren’t progressing so quickly for Roman Abramovich’s right-hand woman, with the hunt for a striker also stuttering.