Chelsea completed an extensive squad overhaul during Xabi Alonso‘s first summer in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues spent £349 million on 11 signings, including club-record arrival Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda, Valentin Barco, Jordan Henderson and Emiliano Martinez were also among the summer additions.
Chelsea balanced that investment through numerous departures, with 39 players leaving permanently or temporarily during the window. Enzo Fernandez completed the biggest exit by joining Manchester City in a £125 million deal.
Nicolas Jackson, Marc Cucurella and Andrey Santos also departed as Chelsea generated more than £500 million through outgoing business.
Alonso’s side then started the Premier League season with victories over Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Fernandez’s departure left Chelsea searching for another midfielder during the closing stages of the transfer window.
According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea eventually identified France international Manu Kone as their preferred option.
Alonso personally spoke with the AS Roma midfielder and became convinced that he represented the ideal replacement.
The Chelsea manager also consulted Kylian Mbappe, whom he previously managed at Real Madrid, about his international teammate.
Mbappe gave Alonso positive feedback on Kone before Chelsea continued negotiations over a potential move.
Roma initially valued the 25-year-old at around €45 million earlier in the summer. However, their demands later increased to €70 million.
Chelsea first offered €52 million including bonuses, but Roma rejected that proposal.
The Blues subsequently agreed to meet Roma’s €70 million asking price on September 1.
Kone had also agreed terms with Chelsea, leaving Roma’s ability to secure a replacement as the final obstacle.
The Italian club approached Youssouf Fofana and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as they searched for an alternative midfielder.
However, neither approach succeeded, prompting Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini to veto Kone’s departure.
Chelsea therefore saw the proposed transfer collapse despite reaching an agreement over the fee and terms with the player.
Kone remains under contract with Roma until 2029 following the dramatic breakdown of his proposed Premier League move.
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