Chelsea star set for £13m Milan move as Lyon put spanner in works of £30.2m double deal

Will Ford
Reported Newcastle target Ruben Loftus-Cheek during a match

Chelsea star Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to join AC Milan in a £13m transfer this summer with talks at an advanced stage over a five-year contract.

Milan are looking to replace Sandro Tonali, who’s agreed to join Newcastle in a £62m deal, and have ramped up their longheld interest in Loftus-Cheek in recent days, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

A figure of £13m has reportedly been agreed between Chelsea and the Serie A side, who are also said to be ‘pressing’ to land Christian Pulisic from the Blues.

Pulisic is one of a huge number of players set to be up for grabs at Chelsea this summer and it’s claimed there are ‘close contacts’ from the Italian club with both Chelsea and the player’s entourage.

The report suggests talks have been ongoing for a while by claiming Milan ‘try to close’ the transfer.

It’s not clear what Milan would pay for Pulisic, but L’Equipe, reporting on a rival for the American’s signature, suggest a deal could be done for €20m (£17.2m).

It’s Lyon who hold that interest, which perhaps comes as no great surprise given their American owners.

It’s claimed the Ligue 1 side’s controlling shareholder Eagle Football Holdings led by John Textor is leading the efforts with USMNT captain Pulisic open to the move.

Manchester United were previously thought to be interested in the forward, who moved to Chelsea for £58m from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, but have since moved on to other targets.

Speaking out on his future earlier this month, Pulisic said: “It’s absolutely a time where I need to figure out what’s going to be best for my future and be somewhere where I can go and play and be trusted and feel good in what I’m doing.

“I want to find that joy at club level again, for sure.”

Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek would join N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech in heading for the exit, while Mason Mount and Edouard Mendy could soon join them.

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