Rafael Leao looks set to take over as Chelsea's newest ongoing transfer saga. They've had Jules Kounde, Ousmane Dembele, Declan Rice, Wesley Fofana and more in the past 18-months, but Leao is the man attracting most attention heading into 2023.
Partly due to the pre-existing interest in him from the summer when Chelsea made speculative efforts to bring him to Stamford Bridge and also due to his every-growing contract issue. AC Milan are constantly watching his expiry date in June 2024 draw closer and although 18-months is a long time, if he gets to the summer without a resolution there will be a power shift in favour of buying clubs.
The 23-year-old is one of the best wingers in the world and made his mark at Qatar 2022. His physicality matches the profile of new player Chelsea want and his trickery and skill are the rogue forward options missing. Although his off the ball work leaves plenty to be desired it doesn't seem to hamper the interest in him.
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As the January window approaches and Milan sweat over their worsening position, Chelsea are expected to make an ambitious mid-season move to get a deal across the line. If that's not possible then Milan will still have just one year commit him to San Siro before a free deal can be negotiated.
Chelsea don't want to wait this long and can use the power shift and the state of play to nudge things in their favour early, but Leao's current camp are standing firm with their stance. Speaking on SkySports, manager Stefano Pioli said, “I advise him to sign a new deal and stay at Milan. I see Rafa very happy here."
Milan have continued to hold this stance ever since links with a move away emerged but no tangible progress appears to have been made and it's only making the circling sharks hungrier. Chelsea are reportedly joined by a host of clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Real Madrid in holding admiration and longstanding interest in him, with a massive £127m release clause currently in play.
Nevertheless, it was only in October when Milan director Frederic Massara said: "We are confident. We want to consolidate this growth that the boy has had and stabilise the team to give continuity at the highest levels, and we will try to find a solution to continue for a long time with Leao."
Pioli continues to tow that line too, adding, “Leão here will have the chance to improve again, he feels good at Milan with this group." The ball still remains in Chelsea's half of the court for now, but if things go on then that may well change and Milan could find themselves backed into a corner.
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