Why Chelsea are ready to sign £80m Premier League star to replace Xhaka

Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso was shocked to give up earlier this week when it emerged that the team will not sign midfielder Granit Xhaka.

The Spaniard won the Bundesliga title with the experienced star at his Bayer Leverkusen club, and was hoping to bring him to London in the summer transfer window.

An £8m offer from the Blues was rejected by the Black Cats, who felt it was an insulting offer, and now there is a final decision from the player.

The Swiss international chose to turn down the chance to reunite with his former boss, instead opting to stay at the Stadium of Light to captain them in next season's Europa League.

After the Sunderland captain finished seventh in his first season back in the Premier League, his loyalty to the club is admirable and understandable.

Chelsea are expected to make a move for the Premier League midfielder

While Chelsea may respect Xhaka's decision to stay on Wearside, the Swiss star's rejection means they will have to look elsewhere for a new midfielder.

They have already been linked with interest in another star from the Premier League who would come in as Alonso's best option in the middle of the park.

According to talkSPORT, Chelsea are among the clubs interested in signing Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott in the summer transfer window.

The report says that Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United are also looking at the England player as a possible signing before next season.

However, it added that the Cherries do not want to cash in on the former Bristol City man, instead, they would like him to put pen to paper on an extension.

TalkSPORT report that Chelsea are expected to increase their interest in the English talent after Xhaka decided to stay at Sunderland, but it remains to be seen whether Bournemouth can be convinced to sell him.

Why Alex Scott would be better than Granit Xhaka

Xhaka would have arrived as a player who already knew how Alonso works and would have hit the ground running as a key player for Spain.

However, Scott, who is valued at £80m, is still a proven star of the Premier League and has the ability to make an immediate impact, as he cannot come from another division and has to adapt to the country or the league.

In fact, the 22-year-old star's performances for Bournemouth in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign suggest he could be a better option in Chelsea's midfield than Xhaka.

The Englishman gave more to his side than Xhaka did to Sunderland in many aspects of the game, apart from creativity, as he provided defensive interventions and more goals from the middle of the park.

An average of 0.5 more tackles per game also speaks to the high level of movement that Scott boasts in midfield, as he is more capable of getting down on and off the ball than the Swiss international.

Despite only being 22, Scott has been described as the “perfect” midfielder by U23 scout Antonio Mango, backed by his contributions on and off the ball in the Premier League last season.

The problem with recruiting young players is that they can sometimes be inconsistent and inconsistent in their performance levels, which is why Chelsea are looking for a more experienced star like Xhaka, but Scott bucks the trend.

His former manager, Andoni Iraola, spoke of his consistency at the end of last season, and that was backed up by how impressive his stats were compared to Xhaka's.

At 22 years of age, Scott is 11 years younger than the Sunderland star and will provide long-term value to Chelsea and Alonso, as he could be their first player of the decade if he wants.

That's why the Blues now have to go all out to secure his services ahead of their rivals now that they know Xhaka will stay at Sunderland this summer, as he can make Alonso forget all about his former star.