Chelsea have seen their first bid knocked back by AC Milan, with the club rejecting a €40 million offer from the Blues to sign defender Alessio Romagnoli.
According to an exclusive report from Italian publication Calciomercato, Alessio Romagnoli has been the subject of a bid from the Premier League. Chelsea lodged a €40 million bid for the Italian defender, an offer that has been swiftly knocked back by AC Milan. Romagnoli is also on the radar of Manchester United.
Alessio Romagnoli received his basic footballing education at AS Roma. But, it is at AC Milan that the defender has been able to make a name for himself. The 23-year-old arrived in 2015 and has since become a regular fixture for the Rossoneri. The 2017-18 campaign saw the youngster strike a formidable partnership with Leonardo Bonucci under Gennaro Gattuso.
Romagnoli was able to match up to the performance levels of the Italian veteran, which has seen him being linked with the top brass of European football. AC Milan are in a poor financial shape and need to offload some players to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations.
Chelsea have welcomed Maurizio Sarri as the man to take them forward following Antonio Conte’s reign at Stamford Bridge. The former Napoli manager has already outlined his expectations of ‘fun football’ at Chelsea. But, his comments about lack of quality and depth in central defence does hint at the possibility of the club pursuing certain profiles.
Kalidou Koulibaly would be the perfect man to target for Chelsea, with the player having worked under Sarri at Napoli. But, Aurelio De Laurentiis is adamant to not lose another player to Chelsea after Sarri was accompanied by Jorginho on his way to Stamford Bridge.
This has seen the Blues look towards other targets to beef up their defence. Romagnoli, at 23, would be a perfect fit at the club. With the player still young, he could find it easier to adapt to different tactics and is more open to change in his footballing ways. Also, Romagnoli is technically adept and his on-the-ball ability makes him a viable target for Chelsea, with ‘Sarri-ball’ on the agenda.
AC Milan are in a turmoil. But, they would be ill advised to losing both Leonardo Bonucci and Alessio Romagnoli in the same transfer window. Bonucci is on the radar of Manchester United and PSG and looks set to depart, which makes retaining the 23-year-old a priority for AC Milan.
The Rossoneri have already knocked back the €40 million offer from Chelsea. But, the Blues could come in with an improved offer. The lure of playing in the Premier League along with the improved situation at Chelsea might tempt Romagnoli to opt to follow Bonucci out of AC Milan.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea are prepared to go in with an improved bid for the 23-year-old. But, if they do, chances are, we could see Romagnoli become the next Italian to join the Sarri revolution at Stamford Bridge.
