CHELSEA ASK ABOUT SIGNING £145M FORWARD IN REGULAR TALKS WITH ELITE CLUB
Chelsea have been in regular conversations with an elite club, and during these points of contact, they've enquired about signing a marquee forward for Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea pursuing new attackers this summer
Injuries to Marc Guiu, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke - combined with João Félix's loan to AC Milan and Mykhailo Mudryk's failed drug test - have resulted in the Blues' sudden shortage of attacking options in the final third.
Chelsea approach £83m Barcelona player to see if he'd join Maresca
The Blues could look to raid Hansi Flick's side.
At the start of the Premier League season, it was hardly thinkable that Maresca wouldn't have many options to play with in that department, with Chelsea possessing serious strength in depth over the first half of 2024/2025, but their decision not to bring in another forward during the January window could now have serious repercussions.
Chelsea's next five Premier League fixtures | Date |
|---|---|
Aston Villa (away) | February 22nd |
Southampton (home) | February 25th |
Leicester City (home) | March 9th |
Arsenal (away) | March 16th |
Tottenham (home) | April 2nd |
Attention is already turning to the summer window and who they could target ahead of next campaign, with Chelsea believed to be serious contenders for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams among other high-profile names.
In terms of strikers, Chelsea have laid groundwork to sign Liam Delap ahead of the Club World Cup, but he isn't their only centre-forward target, with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko also high on their shortlist (Simon Phillps).
Supporters will be keen for the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to bring in another attacking third option, with Chelsea failing to register a single shot on target in their last game against Brighton and Christopher Nkunku proving ineffective alongside the out-of-form Cole Palmer.
Chelsea ask AC Milan about signing Rafael Leao
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, in an article for The Boot Room, AC Milan forward Rafael Leao is also being considered by Maresca's side.
The 25-year-old with 17 goal contributions in all competitions this campaign (nine goals, eight assists) does have a release clause in his contract, but it stands at a seismic £145 million, and Milan would only consider letting him go if a club triggered it.
Nevertheless, Bailey writes that Chelsea have asked Milan about Leao in regular conversations with the Serie A heavyweights, and they also discussed Felix's long-term future at the San Siro.
The Rossoneri are apparently unwilling to sell as things stand, but Barcelona's interest and the temptation of Chelsea means a summer exit cannot be entirely ruled out. Leao was said to be on the shortlist to replace Kylian Mbappé, according to Ligue 1 journalist Julien Laurens.
"He’s definitely on the shortlist to replace Mbappe. The club now knows for sure that Mbappe is leaving," said Laurens last year. "I'm not sure if he would want to go. He's on the shortlist, and he can make his mind up."
Meanwhile, the Portugal international has also drawn some comparisons to Brazil legend Ronaldinho, even if he does need to work on his consistency.
"He's Ronaldinho-vibes, sometimes, when he's on it," said TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves. "I think to be world-class, you've got to be consistent. Because he's a bit flaky and a bit loose at times, he's probably just missing that gap to world-class, but the talent's there to be world-class."
2025-02-19T05:48:08Z