Chelsea have reportedly had a €55 million offer for World Cup-winning playmaker Alexis Mac Allister rejected by Brighton.
According to a report from Italian news outlet TUTTOmercatoWEB, Chelsea have reportedly seen a €55 million bid for the transfer of Argentine World Cup star Alexis Mac Allister knocked back by Brighton, after seeing a similar offer turned down for his teammate Moises Caicedo just days ago.
Todd Boehly has spent heavily on new players since arriving at Chelsea last summer. He has continued to splash the cash this month too, with the likes of Noni Madueke, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Benoit Badiashille all putting pen to paper on long-term deals at Stamford Bridge.
However, the spending spree does not look like slowing down any time soon, with Chelsea still on the prowl for a central midfielder and a right-back cover for Reece James. According to The Times, the Financial Fair Play workaround discovered by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has led to UEFA banning European teams from giving players a maximum of a five-year contract.
This comes after the American owner signed off on an eight-and-a-half-year deal for Ukrainian winger Mudryk, the longest contract a player has ever received in Premier League history.
Following this, authorities from European football’s governing body, UEFA, aim to impose a limit of five years on the amount of time a player’s transfer cost may be spread. The strategy is expected to be implemented before the summer transfer window, which means the Blues must act swiftly if they want to take advantage.
And they are certainly doing that, with Chelsea bids flooding in all across the board. After a failed pursuit of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, the Blues saw an offer for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected. But the Blues are not giving up on any of them, with fresh proposals ready to continue both transfer sagas.
Simultaneously, the Blues tabled a €55 million bid for Fernandez’s compatriot and Caicedo’s club teammate Alexis Mac Allister. However, Brighton has “decided to send the proposal back to the sender,” with the Seagulls valuing the 24-year-old much higher and not willing to lose his services midway through the campaign, as per TMW.
The Blues are desperate to sign a quality central midfielder as they look to replace players like Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, who may leave for free in the summer, and Mac Allister has starred for his club and country in the last 12 months or so.
The 24-year-old was outstanding for Argentina at the World Cup, helping them to glory in Qatar, and he has the vital Premier League proven stamp on his proverbial head, which in itself drives up the asking price these days. So, it’s no wonder Brighton are holding their ground when it comes to negotiating the best value for their asset.
It will be interesting to see if the Blues return with an improved bid for Mac Allister in the coming days as they continue to engage in negotiations for multiple midfielders at the same time.
