Barcelona have bid farewell to former Chelsea winger Marcos Alonso, as the 33-year-old departs after a brief stint with the club.
Alonso joined Barcelona from Chelsea in the summer of 2022 on a one-year deal that was later extended in January 2023.
Throughout the season, Alonso struggled to secure playing time due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for three months.
Marcos Alonso’s stint at Barcelona
Despite a strong debut campaign with 37 appearances and a La Liga title win in 2022, his role at Barcelona has significantly decreased.
Meanwhile, last season, Alonso only made eight appearances for Barcelona, spending a considerable amount of time recovering from his back injury.
In addition, renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed on his X account that the former Chelsea star has left Camp Nou.
This came following Romano’s previous report that Marcos Alonso has decided to depart Barcelona as a free agent after the 2023/24 season.
And today, June 30, Romano confirmed that Alonso has bid the Catalans goodbye stating: “Marcos Alonso leaves Barça as a free agent, club confirms.”
“He’s already assessing options to join a new club, nothing has been done with Atletico Madrid despite rumors.”
Before his time at Barcelona, Alonso had an impressive career in England, playing for Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, and Sunderland.
During his time at Chelsea, Alonso excelled under Antonio Conte’s leadership, contributing to a league title win and establishing himself as a top wing-back in the world.
However, with Conte’s departure from Chelsea in 2018, Alonso’s playing time diminished, leading to his eventual departure from the club.
Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo exit Barcelona as free agents
Joining Marcos Alonso is former Chelsea loanee Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo who are also leaving Barcelona as a free agent.
Cancelo, who previously played for Bayern Munich on loan from Manchester City, and Felix, who was formerly loaned to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, joined the club at the end of the summer transfer window.
Upon signing with Barcelona, Joao Felix extended his contract with Atletico Madrid until June 2029, while Cancelo has a deal with Manchester City until 2027.
Meanwhile, both players are currently representing Portugal at the ongoing European Championship in Germany.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, 24-year-old Joao Felix scored 10 goals in 44 matches, while 30-year-old Cancelo made 42 appearances in various full-back positions for Barcelona.
Barca’s financial troubles
Barcelona’s financial troubles have been widely known, with The Athletic reporting last month that the team had a €130million deficit in their accounts.
This needed to be addressed by today, June 30, to comply with La Liga’s salary cap restrictions for registering new players.
As today is the deadline day, June 30, letting go of players could assist in reducing Barcelona’s wage bill.
What’s next?
It is uncertain how Barcelona will navigate their financial struggles, but more player sales will likely occur this summer.
Meanwhile, Alonso is expected to remain in Spain when his contract expires and has long been tipped to join Atletico Madrid.
However, nothing is set in stone and Alonso’s future is still up in the air.
Despite the rumors linking him to Atletico Madrid, there is always a possibility that he could choose a different path.
Only time will be where Alonso ends up next.
