It has been a long time since Chelsea went out and signed an established player. The club have constantly focused on finding the next big thing. At times, it has worked. Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo are prime examples of that. One can only hope that the likes of Estevao, Geovany Quenda, Dastan Satpaev, Mike Penders and Kendry Paez follow that same path and become bona fide superstars.
That being said, at some point, Chelsea need to realise the importance of having some experienced and proven winners in their squad. And if reports coming out of Spain are accurate then they have their eyes set on one such player.
As reported by Fichajes (via The Hard Tackle), Rafael Leao is a big transfer target for Chelsea. The Blues are willing to fork out €120 million to test AC Milan.
It is somewhat remarkable that Leao has stayed at AC Milan for all these years despite being constantly linked with a move away. Will Chelsea finally be able to sign the Portuguese international? And even more importantly, would it be worth shelling out a €120 million transfer fee to do so?
Chelsea willing to make €120m bid for 26-year-old winger
Leao has always been very highly-rated. But it feels like he has never really taken that next step and established himself as one of the very best wingers in world football.
Admittedly, he has started this season well with three goals and an assist in six Serie A appearances. But then, Christian Pulisic has been putting up better numbers than him in an AC Milan jersey since joining the club from Chelsea for a transfer fee in the region of €20 million.
So, does it make sense for Chelsea to go out and spend six times that figure to bring Leao to Stamford Bridge? It does not feel so. Instead, the club should consider making a move for someone like Vinicius Junior, who is truly a world-class player and seems somewhat unsettled at Real Madrid right now.