Maresca was considering signing a goalkeeperplaceholder image
Maresca was considering signing a goalkeeper | Getty Images
Chelsea’s pursuit of a European star now looks to have been ended after fresh comments from a sporting director.
Chelsea have extended their stay in the United States after defeating ED Tunis in their final FIFA Club World Cup group stage on Tuesday night, finishing second in their group. The Blues will now play SL Benfica in the Round of 16, but in the meantime, the efforts to recruit new players will continue.
Enzo Maresca will want to improve his side in a number of areas, and it seems as though the priorities currently include a second striker signing, along with a winger and a centre-back.
Chelsea were also in the market for a goalkeeper earlier in the summer when they pushed to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The Frenchman is out of contract with Milan next summer and the Blues sensed the opportunity to sign a France international on the cheap.
Milan stuck to their guns over their valuation, though, demanding as much as £21million for Maignan despite his contract situation. That saw Chelsea step away from the negotiation table and go into the FIFA Club World Cup with the keepers they have. Djordje Petrovic looks set to leave, and that will leave Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders as the three Chelsea keepers.
The Blues now seem to be sticking with those options, and AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has now said: “Maignan is not leaving, he will be at Milan next season too. There was interest from a Premier League club [Chelsea] but in the end an agreement was not reached, knowing that Maignan is a point of reference not only on the pitch but also off it. We decided to focus on him and look forward together. The market is unpredictable, but for us, he remains a fixed point of this team."
What Maresca has said
From AC Milan’s view, it seems it is case closed as they look to tie Maignan down to a new deal, while Chelsea boss Maresca has now clarified the current situation with his goalkeeper department.
He said: "The keeper situation is simple, Robert is No.1, Filip is No.2, and we will analyse and judge Penders. Maignan and different players at other clubs - I don't think it is worth talking about them." Chelsea did have struggles between the sticks during last season, leading to Sanchez being briefly dropped, although the Spaniard rediscovered his form after coming back in and ended the season well.
Jorgensen was a little unfortunate in that he suffered an injury during the time when he should have been replacing Sanchez, but he hasn’t forced his way into being the number one in the opportunities he has had, which have largely come in the successful Conference League campaign.
It will be interesting to see if Jorgensen will be Chelsea’s European goalkeeper now that the Blues have secured Champions League qualification, or if Sanchez will now play as the number one in both the Premier League and Champions League. It will also be interesting to see whether Sanchez ups his game now that he knows the Blues were - however briefly - looking to replace him.
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