Rafael Leao could be set for a dramatic move to Chelsea on deadline day. The 23-year-old has quickly become heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer as Thomas Tuchel looks to bolster his frontline.
The Blues have already welcomed Raheem Sterling to west London but Todd Boehly has been tasked with the mission to further strengthen following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. And, Leao has been identified as the ideal target.
Leao, who sees his contract at the San Siro expire in 2024, featured 34 times for the Rossoneri in the Serie A last season, directly contributing to 21 goals. His impressive displays for the Italian giants steered the club to a Scudetto and, as a result, he's attracted great attention.
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With that being said, football.london takes a look at all the latest speculation involving Leao potentially penning a deal at Chelsea this summer.
Chelsea bid rejected
According to Spanish journalist Manu Sainz, Milan have rejected a €100million (£86.5m) bid from Chelsea. Leao has been subject to great interest from the Blues this summer, but the Portuguese star has a release clause - of which, the Italian giants have referred the west Londoners to.
Release clause
Leao has a €150million (£129.7m) release clause in his contract with the Rossoneri. He sees his current deal at the San Siro expire in 2024.
However, according to the CIES Football Observatory, Leao is worth in the region of £59million. That's a significant disparity with his release clause.
Talks in progress
Last weekend, the Times reported the commencement of negotiations. It's said that the possibility of 'one or more' Chelsea players being included in a player-plus-cash swap deal were discussed. However, Italian outlet Calciomercato have said that the Portugal international is in no rush to leave Milan, which obviously comes as a major blow.
Tomori gives blessing
In an interview with The Athletic last month, Fikayo Tomori explained why the winger is highly sought after. The former Chelsea defender and Cobham graduate said: "To be fair, in training, you wouldn't know he's so electric when it comes to a match day because in training he likes to mess about.
"He does a lot of step-overs, he beats you once, and he wants to come back at you again. But when it comes to the game, he's just off. He's massive for the team.
"Ever since I arrived, I told him, "You don't know how good you are". Because you can see he has everything. He's fast, he's strong, he can dribble, he can head the ball, he's tall. He's got everything. He's definitely been our difference maker and is deservedly player of the season for Serie A."
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