Milan weigh up shock move for Arsenal forward with Chelsea ‘in talks’ to sign Leao

Jason Soutar
AC Milan forward Rafael Leao during a match

Chelsea have opened talks with AC Milan over a deal to sign their Portuguese attacker Rafael Leao, according to reports.

The Blues’ summer spending reached £242million following the acquisition of Wesley Fofana from Leicester City.

Fofana was announced as a Chelsea player on Wednesday and became the club’s sixth summer signing.

He follows Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina through the door at Stamford Bridge.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel is keen to sign another forward before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku have both left the club this summer, leaving Kai Havertz and Armando Broja as Tuchel’s only options able to operate as an out-and-out striker.

Broja has not been given a fair crack of the whip yet, while Havertz has been extremely underwhelming since joining from Bayer Leverkusen two years ago for a fee in the region of £75m.

Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been linked with a surprise move to Chelsea, though it is believed the two clubs are struggling to agree a fee for the former Arsenal captain.

Another surprise name to be linked is Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil superstar Neymar, who is under contract in the French capital until 2027.

Chelsea had some hope he would be available this summer but that move is definitely not on the cards.

With a deal for Neymar off the table, the Blues have turned their attention to AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, according to The Times.

The 23-year-old has scored 28 goals and provided 22 assists in 119 encounters for the Italian champions.

He would likely cost north of €100m but is out of contract in less than two years.

Should Leao join Chelsea, Milan have a surprise replacement lined up, according to Calciomercatoweb

The Italian outlet say the club will ‘jump’ at the prospect of signing Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian youngster cost the Gunners £6m back in 2019 and has gone on to play 88 times for the north Londoners.

Martinelli is rated very highly by people at the club and by the fans, however, the report suggests he is valued between €40m-€50m.

Like Leao, Martinelli’s contract expires in 2024, though there is a club option for a further year.

Arsenal will not be keen to sell the 21-year-old and if Milan were to make an attempt to sign him, they will have to offer more than €50m, that’s for sure.

Milan will obviously be reluctant to let Leao leave with next to no time left to sort out a replacement, but if Chelsea lodge a bid worth more than £100m, that will be extremely hard to turn down.

As for Arsenal and Martinelli, it would be a huge surprise if the player moves club before Thursday’s deadline.