Chelsea: Fiorentina sporting director denies Blues contact for Marcos Alonso

Fiorentina sporting director Carlos Freitas has revealed that there has been no bid for defender Marcos Alonso and that the Chelsea target is still in their plans for the rest of the season. The former Real Madrid star has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this transfer window, but Freitas has denied any approach by Premier League clubs for their players this summer.

Alonso spent three years in Bolton after moving out of Spain in 2010 and also served six months on loan with Sunderland, helping them stay up during that period. His extended exposure to the Premier League suggests that he will not take much time to adapt to the rigours of English football and fit into a Chelsea squad which needs reinforcements at the back.

However, Fiorentina manager Paulo Sousa does not expect any more departures from the squad, which will come as a major blow for the Blues, having already been thwarted in their pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. The Viola are on the lookout for more signings than departures and are on the verge of resigning Stevan Jovetic from Inter Milan.

When asked if there has been interest in Alonso from any other club, Freitas said, as quoted by ESPN, "At the moment, no. He is a Fiorentina player at the moment."

"We want to keep our best players and strengthen our squad and we're going to try to put together the best squad possible for the coach's demands. We've got to be ready for anything and there are still 48 hours to go [before the transfer window closes] so let's just see what happens," he added.

Chelsea have started their league campaign brightly, winning their first three games and are joint top with the Manchester clubs. However, new manager Antonio Conte is finding it very difficult to sign players but is hopeful of getting a few deals over the line before deadline day.