The transfer window has been open for exactly two weeks and there has been little movement coming from the market’s biggest spenders last summer. Chelsea has only announced a few minor transactions as other Premier League clubs—for example, Leicester City—work tirelessly to bring in new talent. The Blues have confirmed a few departures on contract expiry, as well as extensions to a few important individuals. Thomas Tuchel’s contract was extended, Chelsea picked up a one-year option in Thiago Silva’s deal and most surprisingly, Olivier Giroud was inked for yet another season at Stamford Bridge.
The Fikayo Tomori transfer saga with AC Milan has now been wrapped up, but the Italians are looking to dip into Chelsea’s talent pool once more with the latter of the aforementioned. Giroud has reportedly been a long-time top target for the Rossoneri. He was in line to join the Italian outfit before the Blues triggered a clause that kept him in London for one year, presumably to profit from his departure, if nothing else. Milan is setting its sights on Giroud once again, but not stopping there as its interest in another two Chelsea players was confirmed on Tuesday.
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The Blues have already received £24.4 million from the Rossoneri as compensation for the services of Tomori. The English defender spent the second half of the season in Serie A and gave the Italian club no choice but to sign him after putting on one defensive clinic after another. The long-time Chelsea player made his departure official recently, allowing his new club to set its sights on his former teammate, Giroud.
Giroud is seen as someone who would elevate Milan’s attack alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 34-year-old was crucial in getting Chelsea into the latter stages of the Champions League during the last campaign. He netted a haul at Sevilla to help the Blues top the group and scored one of the best goals of the tournament in the first leg against Atletico Madrid. Giroud’s play time is dwindling at Stamford Bridge and a move abroad offers the opportunity for a few more seasons as a first choice striker. Of all the moves being considered, his seems the most likely to get over the line.
AC Milan is close to a transfer for Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and has asked about two other Blues players.
Another realistic move that could happen between the two sides is the transfer of Tiemoue Bakayoko. The French midfielder made the move to Stamford Bridge from Monaco ahead of the 2017/18 season. He was seen as a long-term replacement for Nemanja Matic under Antonio Conte, but Bakayoko simply never settled in SW6. The 26-year-old has bounced around on loan since the beginning of his second season in blue, with one of those stops being the red side of Milan. The Rossoneri are interested in Bakayoko once again and the Blues are undoubtedly open to parting ways with him.
The most surprising twist in the love affair between Milan and Chelsea is the fourth player who could possibly make the southeastern move across Europe this summer. Milan is reportedly inquiring about Hakim Ziyech, who was the first addition during the Blues’ spending spree last summer. The former Ajax man got off to a flying start at Stamford Bridge, but untimely injuries halted his momentum at numerous points of the year.
A lot of fans will be quick to label Ziyech a failure during his debut campaign. However, if every so-called failure managed to score in the UCL knockout stages and decide an FA Cup semifinal, I’d want a team full of them. This isn’t to say Ziyech was a sensation—he was relatively underwhelming in the grand scheme of things—but he’s certainly not as bad as some would make it out to seem. Ziyech’s age, injury history and inconsistent spells do make it easier to warm up to the idea of selling him though. There are obvious pros and cons to both sides, this is also undoubtedly the most impactful decision the Blues will have to make.
For these reasons, it’s also the most difficult transfer choice. Marina Granovskaia won’t give Ziyech—or any of the aforementioned players—away for cheap. She will listen though. If Milan wants to secure the Moroccan’s services, it may have to surpass the price Chelsea paid Ajax for the versatile winger in February of 2020.
No matter what comes of the rumors discussed above, it’s nice to hear there is legitimate interest in outgoing players. The Blues had a tough time offloading certain individuals ahead of last season, leading to Frank Lampard’s unhappiness managing a bloated squad. Despite what Thomas Tuchel might say now in favor of large sides, the fat needs to be trimmed from both the first team and loan army. This is especially true if Granovskaia and Co. are going to be active buyers in this summer’s market.
What do you think Chelsea should do with the players Milan is interested in? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!