Italian giants AC Milan are being linked with a shock £39 million move for the Chelsea midfielder, who could find himself on the bench after the reinstatement of Cesc Fabregas to the starting lineup.
According to Calciomercatoweb (h/t Daily Express), Serie A side AC Milan are weighing up a shock £39 million bid for Chelsea playmaker Oscar. Having lost a number of their key players in the last few years, buying a player of Oscar’s calibre would certainly be a signal of intent by the club.
Under new manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea have struggled to match the level of their fellow title contenders in England’s top tier. Seeing the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool playing open and attacking football, the Italian is failing to bring the best out of his team and sees them languishing in eight position on the table.
Oscar: Only Eden Hazard (84) has won possession in the final third more times for Chelsea in the last 4 PL seasons than @oscar8 (73)
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 1, 2016
While he has spoken about fielding a back three and making Chelsea adapt to his philosophy, things have not quite been working out for him. His signing of N’Golo Kante was perceived by the Chelsea fans as excellent business, but it resulted in Cesc Fabregas — something of a fan favourite — being left out of the starting lineup.
Conte has primarily fielded a 4-1-4-1, with Kante as the anchor man and Oscar and Nemanja Matic ahead of him. However, Fabregas has started to impress with his cameos off the bench and is now being considered for a starting role.
This could eventually see Oscar move to the bench, particularly if Conte moves to a 3-5-2 formation in which he has no natural position. Luckily for the Brazil international, AC Milan are in the market to secure his services and could offer him an escape route away from Stamford Bridge. £39 million will, in theory, be a big enough amount for the Chelsea board to consider a sale.
Oscar could thrive in the Rossoneri setup and go on to become an important player for Vincenzo Montella’s side. The Brazilian could prove to be the difference maker for AC Milan and guide them into the Champions League after a two-season hiatus.
With Giancomo Bonaventura currently occupying the number 10 role at Milan, it may take Oscar some time before he can play in his favoured position in Montella’s side. However, the Brazilian has been pretty effective playing in a slightly deeper role and could be fielded in a similar position should he decide to move to Italy.