Chelsea will need to make a very high concrete offer to sign AC Milan star Rafael Leao this summer, Corriere dello Sport claims (page 11).
The Blues recently confirmed the arrival of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, but they are still said to be eyeing at least one more forward.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea have made a tentative enquiry to Leao’s representative and they could make an approach later on this summer.
However, the Rossoneri are unlikely to let him go on the cheap. Chelsea will need to pay a fee between £68m and £76m to secure the Portugal international.
The Italian outlet state that Milan owe 15 per cent of the sell-on fee to his former club Lille.
Our view:
Leao made a slow start to his Milan career, but stepped up his performances last season with 14 goals and 12 assists from 42 appearances in all competitions.
The 23-year-old played every game from the left wing, but he has shown in the past that he is also comfortable operating from the centre-forward position.
His versatility may have caught Chelsea’s radar, but it remains to be seen whether the Blues are willing to make a huge outlay for his signature this summer.
Before the 2021/22 campaign, he managed just 22 goal contributions over two seasons at Milan. Chelsea would not want to spend based on last season’s showing.
The Blues have already been guilty of spending huge sums on the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
None of them have made a significant impact. Lukaku was re-signed from Inter Milan for £97.5m last summer only to be loaned back to the Serie A side recently.
The recent experience with Lukaku is a warning sign for Chelsea. They should be wary of paying high transfer fees on another player from the Italian top-flight.
