Transfer news: Marcos Alonso to Chelsea, Joe Hart to Sunderland, Mario Balotelli to Palermo - latest

All the latest transfer news and gossip on Monday 29 August

Marcos Alonso (Getty)

Chelsea are in advanced talks with Fiorentina over defender Marcos Alonso, according to reports.

Sky Sports have claimed that the Blues are expected to make an offer around £24 for the player. This follows Antonio Conte's recent failed attempts to sign Alessio Romagnoli - for whom they made two separate offers for - as the Italian looks to bolster his backline.

The club have also had an offer for James Rodriguez rejected by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the Daily Mirror claims.

Chelsea made an audacious attempt to sign the Colombian on loan but were blocked by Madrid who would prefer to cash in on a £60m deal.

Rodriguez has struggled to make an impact at the Bernabeu since joining for £65m in 2014 while Zinedine Zidane recently admitted that James’s lack of football has become a “problem” for the player.

West Brom have agreed a club record £13m deal for Tottenham’s Nacer Chadli who is expected to undergo a medical at the Baggies’ training ground on Monday.

According to the Telegraph, Chadli was initially expected to leave Tottenham on loan but Spurs have agreed to sell the winger to the Midlands club, making a profit of around £6m after paying FC Twente in the region of £7m three years ago.

The Belgian betters the £12m West Brom paid last year for Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon, making Chadli the club’s most expensive transfer.

Defender Joleon Lescott has left Championship side Aston Villa to join AEK Athens on a two-year deal, the Greek club have announced.

The 34-year-old joined Villa on a two-year deal last summer but leaves the Midlands club after just one season. It has not been disclosed whether there is a transfer fee involved.

Sunderland are allegedly interested in bringing in Manchester City’s Joe Hart on loan. But Sky Sports claim any move to the north-east would require City to subsidise Hart’s wages and there are doubts over whether the England international would want to move to a club that cannot guarantee Champions League football.

Italian club Torino are also believed to be interested in the 29-year-old.

Lastly, Palermo are waiting to hear whether they have succeeded in an ambitious attempt to bring Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli to Italy, ESPN reports. The Sicilian club confirmed on Friday that they had made contact with the Reds with regards to the Italian.

Palermo sporting director Daniele Faggiano said he was confident that a deal could be done, telling Mediaset television: "We think that Palermo could be just the right place for him to relaunch his career.

"We would welcome him like a great champion, who with the talent he has got could get back into the national team."