Serie A club looking to fend off Chelsea interest by renewing star forward’s contract before January

AC Milan looking to renew the contract of Rafael Leao to fend off Chelsea interest

According to the La Gazzetta Dello Sport via Football Italia (h/t Daily Mail), AC Milan are looking to reopen talks with Rafael Leao for a contract extension to fend off the interest from Chelsea for the Portuguese international. They want to agree on a deal before the World Cup.

The Blues wanted to sign the 23-year-old late in the summer transfer window. But Milan director Paolo Maldini insisted on them having to pay the player’s £130m release clause to sign him. The West London club were not prepared to do that.

Since then, Chelsea have been keeping tabs on the former Sporting Lisbon player, whose contract with the Italian side expires in the summer of 2024.

For that reason, the defending Serie A champions are looking to offer Leao an extension soon with a view to tying his long-term future with the club. The hope is that the player will agree on a deal before he heads off to Qatar to represent Portugal in the World Cup.

Leao has been one of the important players for Milan in the last couple of seasons. Last season, he was one of the key reasons why the Rossoneri lifted the Scudetto. He scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 34 league appearances.

The problem for them is that not just Chelsea, but fellow big guns Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring the situation of the forward. They could make a move for him, provided there is no agreement on an extension.

More Chelsea News:

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• Chelsea send scouts to watch Olympique Lyon starlet Malo Gusto
• Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka received call from Chelsea for a potential move

From the Blues’ viewpoint, they should keep tabs on the situation and be ready with their offer if negotiations between Leao and Milan go sideways. The Portuguese international has the quality and versatility to add a different dimension to our forward line and could be a definite signing.