Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Marcos Alonso and Kurt Zouma Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay big money to bring full-back Marcos Alonso to the club before the end of the summer transfer window, while Kurt Zouma is being linked with a shock move to Schalke 04.

According to Spanish outlet Marca (h/t Metro's Max Miller), the Blues are willing to spend as much as £21.35 million on Alonso, a left-back from Fiorentina who previously had stints with Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers.

The 25-year-old failed to stand out during his time in England but has come a long way since, developing into an attacking force with Fiorentina. David Amoyal of Gianlucadimarzio.com ranks him among the top left-backs in Serie A:

BT Sport's Adam Summerton is also a fan:

Alonso is a marauding full-back who likes to get forward and fire in cross after cross, and he has the raw pace and willingness to contribute all along the wing. He also has experience as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation, which is a huge bonus, as that's the formation head coach Antonio Conte often used at Juventus and with the Italian national team.

While the reported fee of £21.35 million is steep, Alonso is a solid player who should help out the club immediately and in the long run. He would add some depth at the full-back position, which in turn would allow Conte to use Branislav Ivanovic more as a centre-back.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Chelsea's inability to add a quality defender during the summer transfer window has almost become a joke at this point, and while Alonso likely isn't the type of player the fans were hoping for, it's good to see the club at least try to add some depth.

Several centre-backs have been constantly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but with time running out, Chelsea have to make a move now, and the club could do far worse than Alonso.

Filippo Venezia/Associated Press

Given the defensive question marks, it's odd to see new Zouma rumours pop up, but according to Amoyal, the Blues and Schalke are in the middle of negotiating a deal for the youngster.

The report states the Gelsenkirchen-based outfit want the France international on loan with an option to buy, and negotiations are going smoothly. Chelsea fans did not take the news well:

Zouma is one of the team's top young talents and arguably already their best defender when healthy. The 21-year-old missed the UEFA Euro 2016 due to injury and hasn't featured in the 2016-17 campaign due to the same issue.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

With John Terry nearing his retirement and Andreas Christensen still on loan with Borussia Monchengladbach, the centre-back position has become a priority for Chelsea.

Gary Cahill has been solid so far in the current campaign, but Terry won't be able to partner him all season long―the 35-year-old needs his rest.

Loaning out Zouma makes little sense at this point, and as explained by VAVEL's Jonny Walsh, Schalke also have few reasons to make the deal:

Zouma's obvious potential makes an option to make the deal permanent even less likely―unless Conte doesn't believe in the Frenchman's long-term potential, he'll want to make him an essential part of his defence.

Chelsea fans shouldn't worry about Zouma, though. Unless something drastic happens, he won't leave the club in the final days of the transfer window.