Why Chelsea's Chavarria talks have been difficult

[Getty Images] Chelsea have been told Rayo Vallecano will not sell full-back Pep Chavarria unless his release clause, now worth £42.4m, is met. The Blues initially felt they had encouragement to pursue a deal but saw an opening £15m bid rejected. They have since indicated they are prepared to increase their offer to £21.2m, although that remains some way short of Rayo's valuation. Talks have been described as "complicated" by multiple BBC Sport sources after Rayo made it clear they want the release clause paid in full. However, negotiations remain ongoing. Rayo believe their asking price is justified despite the 28-year-old having spent much of his career in Spain's second tier. Club sources argue Chavarria's underlying statistics mean he plays at a similar level to Marc Cucurella, who Chelsea sold to Real Madrid for £51.8m last month, and believe Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso is driving the interest after their defender's impressive display against his then-Real Madrid side last November. Furthermore, Chavarria has four years remaining on his contract and Rayo's successful player-trading model has left the club in a strong financial position, allowing them to resist offers in a similar way to Spain's traditional big three of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. That profitability also means Rayo would be liable for a 25% tax charge on any additional profit generated from a sale, reducing the net value of any transfer fee received. Chelsea do, however, have one source of leverage: Chavarria wants the move. The hunt continues as Alonso wants to add to his first signing, Marco Palestra, who operates on the right. Chavarria would provide a similar option on the left and give the head coach the flexibility to use wing-backs in a system similar to the one that brought him success at Bayer Leverkusen.