Chelsea could land AC Milan star for a whopping £126 million

Chelsea target Rafael Leao could command a fee of around £126 million if he is to leave before the end of the current transfer window. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, Leao could move in the coming days, but if he is to do so, it will cost the Blues over £100 million. Leao has been linked with Chelsea throughout the course of the summer, but nothing has come to fruition. Recent reports suggest that the London-based club is looking to ramp up its efforts though.

However, the aforementioned three-digit figure may just hinder the progressive thinking of the Blues’ board. That is only if Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is hell-bent on paying anything to get the player.  Not only that, the deal could be complicated thanks to a legal wrangle which involves Leao’s previous clubs, LOSC Lille and Sporting Lisbon. Suffice it to say though, the Blues will find a way to get their man, and the Rossoneri have named their price.

Chelsea could land AC Milan star Rafael Leao for a whopping £126 million

Leao and Lille have been ordered by the Court of Arbitration to pay £14 million to Sporting CP, which could interfere with the contract negotiations. It is said that Leao has been paying Sporting around 20 percent of his salary each month. The player terminated his deal with the Portuguese outfit back in 2018 after an incident at the training ground involving an attack from Ultras. The total fee is understood to be in excess of £20 million, but Chelsea looks prepared to chip in with payments in order to tempt him into joining its ranks in the not-too-distant future.

Leao—who is a Portuguese international—has been one of the most sought-after wingers in Europe over the last year or so. He is also one of the key figures in Milan’s resurgence to the top of Serie A in recent times. The 23-year-old scored 11 goals and assisted 10 in 34 appearances last season in the Italian top flight, becoming a major contributor to the club’s Scudetto success after 11 years of waiting. Leao was also afforded the crown of the league MVP for his troubles.

Leao has been one of the top players in the Serie A over the last 12 months. Although he is a left winger by trade and by menace, Leao can play anywhere across the front line. Leao can line up in many positions in the attack, including the centre forward role, as a right winger or as a No. 10 in behind a striker. The Sporting academy product possesses everything a modern-day forward must do in order to not just be a threat on the ball in wide areas, but also have the final product in and around the penalty box.

If Chelsea does decide to pay the aforementioned amount needed to sign Leao, it would be a statement purchase. He would be a handful for opponents on the ball and he can be a dreadful sight for Premier League defenders, especially opposing fullbacks. Leao isn’t the only individual the Blues are looking to add to their attack in the waning days of the window either. Chelsea has been negotiating with Barcelona over a potential move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Blues are thought to be hell-bent on signing a new striker to fill the void left by Romelu Lukaku’s loan move to Inter Milan earlier this summer.

It doesn’t seem farfetched to say that Chelsea could even end up landing both Aubameyang and Leao if things go well for the Blues over the next few days. They have already spent more than any other Premier League club in the transfer market, with the new owners having splashed around £175 million on player recruitment over the summer. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already insisted that he will be looking to add more new faces to his squad between now and the end of the window, but he also went on to admit that it would not be the end of the world if no further deals are struck over the next few days.

The Blues are said to remain in the market for a new first-choice striker. Tuchel had this to say about the rumors recently:

"“I am super happy with what we’ve succeeded so far. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney [Chukwuemeka] and Marc Cucurella are fantastic signings, and I’m more than happy they are with us. It is not finished, everybody knows. But if it’s finished, if we don’t do anything else, we fight with this squad. If it’s not finished, we try to get further quality and with further quality, the ambition level rises.”"

What do you think about the possibility of signing Leao before the window closes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!