Maurizio Sarri seems to be the manager that the Blues cannot shake. In the pursuit to find the next best midfielder for their squad, Chelsea have been linked with the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Ibrahim Sangare, and Declan Rice this year. Considering the high-priced values placed on Rice, the Blues have been surprisingly shy of exploring other options.
It seems that former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is ready to give his old club a helping hand by offering them Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. It's not the first time Chelsea have been linked with the Lazio midfielder. Milinkovic-Savic was one of Maurizio Sarri's prime targets in 2018. He was also again linked with the Blues in 2019 despite the club serving a transfer ban that summer. And let's not forget Jose Mourinho was once lusting over the robust midfielder once upon a time. In that period, his valuation ranged between £70 million and £115 million.
After almost eight years with Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic is moving closer to the end of his contract, which expires in 2024. With his current valuation at £63million, he could be a cheaper, more experienced transfer option. Unfortunately, with Thomas Tuchel
having £200m to spend in the transfer window and with an entire squad to rebuild, £63m may be asking for too much. Luckily for the Blues, Sarri has made his terms quite clear. He would like Emerson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in exchange please and thank you.
Milinkovic-Savic is a coach's midfield dream. He has technique on the ball whilst occupying the central midfielder role and can get his hands dirty when necessary. The natural balance between his defensive capabilities and attacking makes him the complete midfielder that Chelsea could use. Of course, when you have a player like N'Golo Kante on your side, it's difficult to find a midfielder that would bring even more to the team, but Savic could come close.
The Blues may lose one of Jorginho or Kante this summer as their contracts are set to expire in 2023. It's now or never for Chelsea to decide on their futures, but in the process, they must trust that the midfield is filled adequately. I would have loved a move for Rice in this summer's transfer window but the harsh reality is that the £100m asking price is way too much for Chelsea as they enter into a new era.
Last month, Corriere dello Sport reported Chelsea’s interest in Milinkovic-Savic and the Biancocelesti were already said to be interested in Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. That comes as no surprise as Sarri, now in charge at the Stadio Olimpico, had a positive relationship with Loftus-Cheek during his season at Stamford Bridge.
More recently, according to Il Messaggero. Sarri 'tried to push' the 27-year-old to join Chelsea in a deal that would have sent Emerson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek Sarri’s way. It'll be interesting to see just how Chelsea manages to tackle this situation. Whilst losing two players will come as a blow, it is arguably time that the Blues buy a new midfielder.
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