Chelsea have registered a concrete interest in signing Rafael Leao from AC Milan just one week before the closing of the transfer window, a report claims.
Calciomercato.com back up previous reports from various sources in stating that Chelsea are ‘very interested’ in Leao after a 2021-22 season where he was a huge part of the Scudetto win and was voted as the Serie A MVP.
Contacts have been made in recent days with agent Jorge Mendes but Milan directors Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara have repeatedly reaffirmed the total centrality of Leao in their project and also their absolute desire not to listen to offers.
Chelsea have not presented any official offer and the more the days pass, the less chance they have of signing him because Milan would have such little time to then find a replacement.
Only an offer close to the value of the €150m release clause in Leao’s deal (which is not active in the last two weeks of the market)it would force Massara and Maldini into a meeting with the ownership.
However, there are other talks regarding Leao that will be crucial: those over the renewal of his contract expiring in 2024. Milan want to reach an agreement at all costs and Gerry Cardinale wants to announce himself with a key extension.
However, Chelsea’s interest could create more of a problem because Leao has not said no to the idea of joining them. He is happy with Rossoneri and in Milano but now he expects a salary of €7m to renew compared to the current €1.5m net per season he earns, so it will be up to Cardinale to decide whether to accept or not.
