Chelsea are lining up a move for AC Milan centre-back Strahinja Pavlovic, according to reports in the Italian media.
Calciomercato.it claim that the Blues are “ready” to offer around €40m (£35m) for the Serbian international.
Pavlovic has been a regular starter for Max Allegri’s team this season, having been named in the first eleven for 25 of their 30 league matches.
The 24-year-old scored the opener during the Rossoneri’s 3-2 win over Torino on Saturday, which kept the Serie A team’s title hopes alive.
Milan are reluctant to sell Pavlovic
While it looks like Chelsea are planning a formal offer for the centre-half, they may have to work hard to sign him
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Pavlovic is currently regarded as a key player, so it is up for debate whether £35m would be enough to secure his signature.
However, financial considerations mean that the Serbian may be let go if the bid reaches a certain threshold.
Chelsea are looking to revamp their defence
Reports suggest that several centre-backs could be offloaded at the end of the season. Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile both face uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge.
There have also been some suggestions that Wesley Fofana is considering whether to leave the Blues, while Trevoh Chalobah has constantly been linked with a departure.
If all four players were sold over the coming months, it would leave a very inexperienced group of centre-halves on the club’s books, none of whom are in a position to take on the responsibility as a leader at the back.
Levi Colwill is still recovering from an ACL injury he sustained last year, Jorrel Hato is seen more as a left-back, while Mamadou Sarr and Josh Acheampong are just teenagers. In that context, the interest in Pavlovic makes more sense.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here