Paolo Maldini: Chelsea made Rafael Leao bid
Karan Tejwani
- 15 Sept 2022 07:35 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea were interested in the signing of Milan forward Rafael Leao in the summer, but were unable to get the Portuguese forward to join their team.
The Blues needed to add some quality and depth to their attack after letting go of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner over the summer.
They did bring in Raheem Sterling and scrambled for the deadline day signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona in the final few hours of the transfer window.
There were talk of a move for Leao, but the high cost of the operation that late in the transfer market was what put the deal off and the forward ended up staying at the San Siro.
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Leao proposal was rejected
Leao has been a star for Milan in recent times and was heavily involved in their title-winning team of last season, spurring his side on to a first championship win since 2011.
The forward scored 11 goals in Serie A and 14 in all competitions and was a crucial component to a young team that surprised many to win the top-flight title.
Paolo Maldini, Milan’s Sporting Director, confirmed Chelsea’s interest, but it was rejected by the club: “Chelsea hadn’t sent any official bid for Leão — but they made a verbal proposal and we rejected it, of course.
Champions League Vibes 🏄🏾♂️#forzamilan❤️🖤 @acmilan pic.twitter.com/4AbsTz201v
— Rafael Leão (@RafaeLeao7) September 14, 2022
“He knows that staying here is the best way to improve. We want to do great things with Rafa Leão in our project,” Maldini added, suggesting Leao knows his high ranking with the Rossoneri squad.
It’s expected that Leao will continue to be of interest to Chelsea but will also have other suitors from around Europe as he continues to get better.
He has already started the season well, playing a starring role in Milan’s derby win over Inter and his young age combined with qualities will mean he will continue to get better in the coming years.
