Chelsea signing AC Milan forward Rafael Leao will not be easy, Fabrizio Romano has told GiveMeSport.
While the 23-year-old is a “top priority” for the Blues, the transfer expert says a deal will be difficult as his current employers look to tie him down to a new contract.
Chelsea transfer news – Rafael Leao
Journalist Simon Phillips recently told GMS that Chelsea sense an opportunity to bring Leao to Stamford Bridge due to his contract situation at Milan.
The Portuguese attacker, who has been described as “electric”, is approaching the final year of his existing deal and appears to be no closer to putting pen to paper on a new one.
Should Milan decide to sell Leao, Chelsea are likely to face competition for his signature, with Premier League rivals Manchester United being another club who are interested in the player.
According to ESPN, the Red Devils have Leao on a shortlist of attacking options heading into the January transfer window.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about Rafael Leao and Chelsea?
With Milan competing in the Champions League and for the Serie A title, Romano says they want to keep Leao at the club next month.
Speaking to GMS, the Italian journalist said: “Chelsea remain interested in Rafael Leao. He’s a top priority for them for the present and future, but at the moment it depends on Milan. They have an important game in the Champions League with Tottenham.
“They would love to keep the player to fight for the Italian league, to fight for the Champions League. They want to extend his contract as soon as possible so not an easy one.”
Should Rafael Leao be Chelsea’s top priority?
In attack, yes. In recent years, they have not always done enough in that area of the pitch, which has resulted in them falling far behind both Manchester City and Liverpool.
For example, last season, Chelsea scored 76 goals in the Premier League, which is a pretty good number. However, Liverpool managed 94, while City were extremely close to registering 100 (via WhoScored). If the Blues want to start competing for the title again, it is clear to see that their output has to go up.
Leao is a forward who can both score goals and create them, so he should be able to help Graham Potter’s side with that.
In the 2021/22 season, the Portugal international, who has a Transfermarkt value of around £75m, came up with over 20 goal contributions in all competitions, according to the same website.
Source: Give Me Sport
