Chelsea are ‘frontrunners’ in the race to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, according to Ekrem Konur.
Maignan joined the Rossoneri from Lille in 2021 after helping the French outfit clinch their fourth Ligue 1 title and keeping an impressive 21 clean sheets in his 38 appearances for Les Dogues that season.
He wasted no time making an impact—winning the Serie A title in his debut season and later contributing significantly to their Italian Super Cup success last season.
Chelsea explored the prospect of signing the French international, whose contract runs until the summer of 2026, in the summer, but negotiations stalled as the two clubs could not agree on his valuation.
It appears the West London club have rekindled their interest in Maignan, as Konur claims that Enzo Maresca’s side are the ‘frontrunners’ to sign the 6ft 3in shotstopper.
While a summer move looks more likely, the France international could still leave in the January transfer window for a considerable fee, with Chelsea now keen, according to the report.
Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, inherited a large group of players, including no fewer than five senior goalkeepers at the club, but the list has now been trimmed to only Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Gabriel Slonina in the first team.
Is Maignan an upgrade on Sanchez?
Having been berated severely for his several goal-costing blunders, especially last season, Sanchez now appears to have turned the corner this season.
The three-cap Spain international kept three clean sheets in November, conceding just one goal — which came in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal — a run that earned him the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award.
Sánchez has also shown improvement with his passing this season, with FotMob rating his distribution at 67.1 per cent. He has completed 92 accurate long balls, while his 25 high claims rank among the best figures in the league.
In comparison, Maignan — who also has six clean sheets like Sánchez — edges the Chelsea goalkeeper in saves, with 37, and boasts a higher save percentage of 77.1 per cent, compared to the Spaniard’s 31 saves and 70.5 per cent.
While his accurate passes and high-claim numbers fall below those of the former Brighton shot-stopper, Maignan’s distribution remains impressive at 74.4 per cent, underlining that he possesses the qualities to be a reliable option for Maresca.
With his contract set to expire next summer, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Blues will offer a fee around his £21m Transfermarkt valuation to sign him in January or risk facing competition by waiting until next summer.
