Chelsea have submitted a new bid to sign Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, according to reports. The move comes after Marc Cucurella's £51.8 million transfer to Real Madrid in June, leaving the club in the market for cover on the left side of their defence.
Last month, Chelsea had a €15m (£12.8m) offer for Chavarria rejected by Rayo Vallecano. Fabrizio Romano reports that negotiations are now "moving forward" and the Premier League club have tabled an improved bid after agreeing personal terms with the defender.
Xabi Alonso driving the move
Xabi Alonso is understood to be driving Chelsea's push to sign Chavarria, having identified the 28-year-old as a potential replacement for Cucurella.
"Chelsea have sent a new bid today to Rayo Vallecano for Pep Chavarria," Romano said on his YouTube channel on Saturday. "The negotiation is ongoing, Chelsea are careful until the very end because the negotiation has been more complicated than expected with Rayo Vallecano over recent weeks. But the player is pushing to go to Chelsea, the player has an agreement with Chelsea and Chelsea are quite optimistic after sending a new proposal and getting closer with Rayo to find a solution."
Chavarria's La Liga career and release clause
Chavarria has spent four seasons in La Liga with Rayo Vallecano after being signed from Real Zaragoza in 2023. The left-back has a €50m (£42.7m) release clause in his contract, but the Spanish club are said to be willing to sell for €25m (£21.3m) before add-ons.
Last weekend, Chavarria was left on the bench for Rayo Vallecano's pre-season friendly defeat to Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
