Kylian Mbappe told Xabi Alonso to sign 'ideal fit' for Chelsea but transfer fell through

Xabi Alonso reached out to Kylian Mbappe before sanctioning Chelsea's late bid for Manu Kone, according to reports, but a 'dramatic turnaround in the final moments' meant the transfer collapsed.

After the departure of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City, those behind the scenes at Chelsea were left scrambling to find a suitable replacement.

On Tuesday evening, they agreed a £47 million deal to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco, but the Ligue 1 side pulled out at the last minute, despite there being a written club-to-club agreement between both clubs.

And before that, they came close to signing highly-rated Roma midfielder Manu Kone. In fact, a report from French publication Foot Mercato has shared the 'behind-the-scenes' story of what happened.

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso spoke to Kone over the phone and was 'convinced' he was the ideal replacement for Fernandez.

He even went as far as consulting the midfielder's international teammate Kylian Mbappe, a player he managed during his short reign as Real Madrid manager, and the striker 'spoke highly' of Kone.

Soon, after a failed bid of €52 million (£44.7m) including bonuses, Chelsea agreed to pay Roma's asking price of €70 million (£60.1m) on Tuesday (September 1).

Alonso is a big fan of Manu Kone. Image credit: Getty

Unfortunately for the Blues, Roma were unable to find a replacement in time, which was the final condition for completing the deal. They attempted to sign AC Milan's Youssouf Fofana and Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but failed.

Gian Piero Gasperini went on to block the move, despite personal terms being agreed between Kone and Chelsea.

Chelsea make contact with free agent Georginio Wijnaldum after transfer deadline

It was reported on Wednesday (September 2) that Chelsea have made contact to sign former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who is currently a free agent following a spell at Al Ettifaq.

Wijnaldum was released by the Saudi club in June after his contract was not renewed.

Should he make an unexpected move to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea would be the third Premier League club he has played for after Newcastle and Liverpool.

READ MORE: Deadline day transfer caused three Premier League deals to collapse in chain reaction

Earlier in the summer, Xabi Alonso identified a need for more experience in his squad, so he brought in Danny Welbeck, 35, and former Liverpool title-winning captain Jordan Henderson, 36.

Only two players over the age of 30 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kalidou Koulibaly - had joined the club since BlueCo took majority ownership in 2022.