Chelsea will ‘almost certainly’ make an offer for AC Milan star Rafael Leao if he impresses at the World Cup with Portugal.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who say the Blues will still face rejections from the Italian side even if they offer €100m.
The newspaper explains that Milan are still working on a new contract with Leao, whose current deal at the club expires in 2024.
That means they could be forced to sell their star player next year if he doesn’t agree to a new deal and Chelsea are known to be big fans of him, after trying in the summer.
Leao and Milan are in talks and the club have spoken with his agents, but they are still far apart on their demands as the player is asking for more than the €6.5m a year he is being offered.
There is also the problem of the World Cup, with Leao looking likely to be a part of Portugal’s squad courtesy of Diogo Jota’s injury.
He were to star at the tournament in Qatar then Milan ‘would end up receiving more than a few calls’ and one would ‘almost certainly’ come from Todd Boehly’s Chelsea.
The chances of that happening are increasing but even if Milan were to receive a €100m+ deal then Milan’s idea remains firm, reject it.
They want to finish the season with Leao in their squad and the player feels the same thus any major effort from Chelsea is unlikely to work should they make it.
The Blues will likely have to wait until the summer to try and get their man, with it ‘more likely’ that everything about his future will be decided in 2023.
