Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing AC Milan forward Rafael Leao before the transfer window closes in a €120 million deal.
According to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea are keen on completing a deal for Rafael Leao before the summer transfer window shuts down and are considering a bid worth €120 million. But AC Milan value the Portuguese international at around €150 million.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is keen on strengthening his attacking options before the summer window closes, and he has identified Rafael Leao as an ideal option. However, AC Milan are not keen on selling their star attacker this late in the window, and Chelsea will have to pay well over the odds to tempt the Italian giants.
Leao has been a key player for AC Milan over the past year and was crucial to their Serie A title win last season. The 24-year-old forward scored 14 goals and picked up 12 assists across all competitions, and there is no doubt that he could be a quality acquisition for the Blues.
Chelsea have managed to offload the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner after underwhelming individual campaigns in 2021/22, and they are in desperate need of goalscoring reinforcements. The Blues signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, but the England international is not a reliable goalscorer, and someone like Leao could improve the squad in that aspect.
The 24-year-old attacker is highly-rated in Italy, and he has a massive future ahead of him after scoring 14 goals in a title-winning campaign. There is no doubt that he is a prodigious talent who is capable of developing into a top-class player with the right coaching and experience. However, Leao feels right at home in Milan, and he is not angling for a move away this summer.
Furthermore, it seems highly unlikely that Chelsea will sanction a €150 million outlay on the player at the stage of the window. It is fair to assume that any move for the Portuguese international will have to wait until next summer at the very least. But if it goes through this summer, Chelsea will only table a maximum offer of €120 million.
Meanwhile, the report from Gazzetta dello Sport adds that Chelsea have spoken to the player’s agent Jorge Mendes. But they are yet to submit a concrete offer for the player, and there have been no discussions with Milan so far. In other news, Chelsea have been linked with a move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Anthony Gordon as well.