Chelsea serious about €120m bid for Serie A star
Karan Tejwani
- 26 Aug 2022 07:45 BST
- 3 min read
The rumours surrounding Chelsea’s €120 million bid for Milan forward Rafael Leao have been gathering pace in recent days, with many believing the Blues are serious about getting the Portuguese.
Chelsea are interested in signing a forward late in the transfer window having had a difficult start to the season, with the most recent result being a 3-0 loss to Leeds United, where their attack was toothless.
The Blues sold Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner over the summer, and only brought in Raheem Sterling, so will need more firepower for the rest of the season if they are to compete on all fronts.
Leao won’t come in cheap, especially given his importance to the team and this late stage of the window where finding a replacement for him would be difficult.
Related articles
Milan recognise Leao importance
It’s believed that Milan will find it hard to turn down an offer of €120 million as they – as well as most other Italian clubs – are not in a position to reject an offer of that magnitude.
The Portuguese has a contract at the club until 2024, but Milan are set to offer him a new long-term deal to keep him at the San Siro well beyond that.
Milan recognise the player’s importance, having seen him contribute to 11 goals and 10 assists on their way to the Serie A title last season, which was their first since 2011.
It's come late, but what a huge goal that could be for Milan! 💥
Rafael Leão picked his spot and found the gap perfectly 🤌
That's now 10 league goals for the 22-year-old this season. pic.twitter.com/fSjRqJG81h— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 1, 2022
There was interest in Leao from other clubs earlier in the window, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid both monitoring the situation but walking away from the deal due to the high cost involved.
It’s believed Chelsea are also looking at other ways to get this deal wrapped up before the transfer deadline, including offering Milan a few players as well as cash on top to get their man.
The Blues are, in the meantime, working on a deal to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Stamford Bridge and that deal looks set to be completed in the coming days.
