Italian Midfielder Reveals Chelsea Talks

Despite the transfer window being closed, there is always transfer gossip doing the rounds in the papers and we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest news during the coming months. Today, Andrea Pirlo reveals he almost joined Chelsea.

Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo has revealed he came close to signing for Chelsea before AC Milan pulled the plug on the move, according to the Daily Mail.

The veteran playmaker has enjoyed an illustrious career in Italy with AC Milan and spent 10 seasons at the San Siro before moving to Juventus on a free transfer in 2011.

The 33-year-old continued his excellent form in Turin as he lead Juve to the Serie A title, going unbeaten for the entire season. However, as he prepares to face Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Pirlo has spoken for the first time about how close he came to joining the Blues when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge.

Reports at the time suggested it was a ‘mutual decision’ that saw him stay in Milan but the player now claims he was all set to follow Ancelotti to Stamford Bridge but AC pulled the plug at the last minute.

‘Actually, Milan wouldn’t let me go,’ he now reveals. ‘I have a very strong connection with Ancelotti so I was in touch with him when he went to Chelsea and I’m still in touch with him now he’s at Paris Saint-Germain.

‘I had already started negotiating with the people at Chelsea but then finally Milan didn’t let me go. That’s why I stayed.

‘Certainly it would have been a different experience that I’d have liked, especially when I was 30 years old. So why not? But unfortunately it didn’t happen.’

Pirlo is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail

Pirlo was then quizzed about whether he could see himself making a move to the Premier League before he retires, and he certainly didn’t rule it out. He continued:

‘Maybe, who knows?’ ‘I don’t know what might happen. You never know. I still have two years left with Juventus, this season and next.

‘I like English football a lot. There are plenty of very good teams. They are very aggressive so it’s always entertaining to watch.

‘It wouldn’t be a problem for me fitting into that particular style because I’ve played with different players with different characteristics throughout my career.’

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Pirlo is a player that has arguably got better as he’s got older and it would be interesting to see how he fared in the fast-paced Premier League compared to the slower-paced Serie A.

At 33, he still has time to make the move and when you consider Paul Scholes has played at the top until 38, it’s not inconceivable that Pirlo could do the same.

Would you like to see Pirlo at Chelsea? Get involved in the comments section.