After the swoop for Kalidou Koulibaly, Chelsea are considering targeting another Serie A star in Rafael Leao. The Blues will add Raheem Sterling but are seeking further attackers. They were keen on Leeds United’s Raphinha, but Barcelona won the race.
As per Corriere della Sera, there was simply an inquiry that does not worry the Rossoneri. They want to hold onto their ace, even though the extension talks have been challenging. On top of the legal controversy stemming from his messy exit from Sporting CP, his tremendous finish drove up the demands on wages.
The Scudetto winners are not on the best of terms with his agent Jorge Mendes, as he is favoring PSG for Renato Sanches. In any case, Leao has two years on his current contract, and Milan are not panicking, so Chelsea or other interested clubs would have to activate his €150M release clause to get him.
The Rossoneri have been trying to prolong his deal, but the matter has stalled for multiple reasons. Their salaries generally top out at €4.5/5M per year, while his representative asked for €7M. The parties might eventually strike an agreement until 2027 at a €6M annual rate, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
Our Take on Chelsea Tracking Leao
The striker is in the same contractual situation as Nicolò Zaniolo and Matthijs De Ligt. On the other hand, the Italian champions are much more comfortable than Roma and Juventus with letting their players get close to the end of their deals, even though that has cost them dearly on multiple occasions. The Portuguese international is worth a boatload of money, and his value will keep growing. But, even if things do not progress on his new contract, the key summer will be the next one.