Spanish Report Reveals Barcelona Ace Denis Suárez 'Turned Down' Chelsea Move This Summer

A Spanish report has claimed that Barcelona midfielder Denis Suárez turned down the chance to move to Chelsea earlier in the summer, preferring to stay and fight for his place at the Camp Nou.

According to Spanish outlet El Partidazo de COPE, Chelsea boss Mauricio Sarri was eager to bring the Spaniard to London, having previously failed to sign him while managing at Napoli. However, the Blues' advances were firmly rebuffed by the 24-year-old, who is reportedly hellbent on establishing himself as a star with the Catalan giants.

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Suárez began his career in the Celta youth academy, before moving to Manchester City to continue his development. After failing to break into the star packed side, the tenacious midfielder then moved to Barcelona B, before impressing on loan at Sevilla. After a solid season with Villareal, Barcelona brought Suárez back in 2016.

Given the host of talents at the Camp Nou, Suárez isn't a regular starter for the side, but still racks up a fair amount of appearances across all competitions. It remains to be seen how much of a look-in the player will get this season, and whether he will eventually progress to be more than a peripheral member of the team.

In other news, Real Madrid are believed to be pondering a late transfer window swoop for Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso. The defender is thought to be a relatively cheap alternative to the club's other, loftier targets, but the Blues are set to dig their heels in and reject any advances, given the lack of depth they have in this area of the squad.