While he didn’t play all that much in the World Cup, mostly coming off the bench, Rafael Leão certainly didn’t hurt his stock at the competition.
Impacting the game almost every time he was called upon, the Milan star showed just why Chelsea have been after him since the summer, with their interest a continuous topic of conversation in the Italian media.
This is partly due to the fact the Blues wanting him is impacting a potential renewal at the Serie A side, as he knows the cards are in his hands since his current deal ends in June 2024.
Milan are desperate to get him to sign for longer, such is his importance to their project, but they know the lure of the Premier League, where Chelsea are waiting with their chequebook, is a problem.
With Armando Broja suffering a season ending injury in a friendly during the World Cup break, the Stamford Bridge side need a new striker more than ever, as pointed out by Calciomercato.
This pushes them ‘to return to the attacking market as early as January’, with David Datro Fofana the one they seem to be getting, but Chelsea ‘don’t stop there’.
The Molde man seems more one for the future, which is why ‘another striker will also arrive, possible a top one to put in Potter’s hands’ immediately.
This is where Leão comes in, and the Blues’ attention has ‘turned to the Portuguese’, but he would cost money, and ‘not less than €80m’, which doesn’t scare them.
As of now, Chelsea are ‘preparing the budget and remain on the sidelines, waiting for new developments related to his future’, all the while evaluating other profiles, with Dusan Vlahovic and a certain Tammy Abraham mentioned, whom they can bring back in the summer thanks to a buy-back clause included in the original deal with AS Roma.
