Chelsea turned down by a player who has been transfer-listed by his club

27 Sept 2026 08:26 BST |
2 min read

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Chelsea failed with an attempt sign Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio in the summer transfer window, according to reports in Spain.

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The Blues were linked with a number of centre-backs before agreeing a deal to sign Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for €60.7million (£52m).

Chelsea were credited with an interest in signing Como star Jacobo Ramon as well as John Stones, who eventually joined Inter Milan on a free transfer.

And now Spanish publication MARCA claims Chelsea made a move for Asencio after learning Jose Mourinho was keen for him to leave Real.

However, Asencio is believed to have turned down the advances of both Chelsea and Liverpool in favour of staying with his boyhood club.

Since emerging through their youth system in November 2024, the 23-year-old has made 80 appearances for the Real first team.

Asencio is yet to feature for Los Blancos this season but that could be about to change after the international break concludes next month.

Real will be without the suspended Dean Huijsen and the injured Ibrahima Konate when they entertain Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday, 10 October.

Those absences have paved the way for Asencio to earn his first minutes of the new season alongside Antonio Rudiger for the visit of Villarreal.

Asencio was acquitted of alleged involvement in distributing a sexually explicit video involving a minor earlier this month.

In a separate case reported by BBC Sport, Real have opened disciplinary proceedings against Asencio over a drink-driving conviction.

When asked about the incident, Real boss Mourinho said: “A Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, seven days a week, 12 months a year, so when you do something outside your professional area, it’s still Real Madrid and it hurts the club’s prestige that is untouchable. So I am not happy. We all make errors but no, I’m not happy.”

Real will look to return to winning ways against Villarreal after suffering a 2-1 reverse against rivals Atletico Madrid in their last La Liga fixture.

Chelsea were also beaten in their last Premier League fixture

Chelsea are also hoping to bounce back from a recent loss when they play host to Bournemouth in the Premier League on the same day.

The west London club were beaten 3-0 at Brentford in their last league fixture, registering just two shots on target at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Chelsea are actually winless in three league games after losing to Arsenal on 6 September and drawing with Hull City six days later at Stamford Bridge.