A windstorm has left Chelsea’s midfield a wobblier tower of Jenga . But the Blues have suffered injuries, inconsistency and a squad rebuild under Enzo Maresca and need reinforcements. Reijnders brings some Dutch maestroery from AC Milan. According to reports, Chelsea are keen on signing him to both assist with stability and add to their creativity in the midfield. Given that Milan are in such dire financial straits and are possibly heading for a fire sale, this could be the perfect opportunity for Chelsea to pounce and pick up their man.
Reijnders & Pulisic have both regressed under Conceicao, they have arguably been Milan’s 2 best players over the last season & half only to have a new manager not understand how to get the best out of them. Either the mgr needs to change or they should look for greener pastures
— Bythesea (@Bythese50805295) February 27, 2025
However, before we all fall into the Reijnders Caicedo Fernandez midfield fantasy, let’s analyze Chelsea’s need for him, his fit within Maresca’s plans, and whether the hype is justified.
Why Chelsea Need Reijnders
Moises Caicedo is on a one-man army guard duty for Chelsea’s midfield. With Romeo Lavia spending more time in the medical room than on the pitch and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall likely leaving, Chelsea need reinforcements.
Reijnders is the tactical flexibility in the midfield of the training, the Swiss Army knife. He’s able to play really deep, comes out, and changes the way he plays according to different tactics. A big win is to have a player who can plug in multiple roles, given Chelsea’s injury track record.
Milan’s Financial Struggles Milan fall into the type of financial situation that makes Chelsea’s transfer overspend look cheap. If they fail to qualify for Europe, a fire sale could be on the cards, and it would be the perfect opportunity for Chelsea to negotiate a bargain.
Can Chelsea beat the competition for him?
Others are circling as well, besides Chelsea. But Chelsea have made the first move, and Manchester City and Barcelona are also watching before either has made any sort of bid. Just given Milan’s history of business with Milan: Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, even the failed Joao Felix experiment, they may well be ahead in their negotiations.
But Reijnders has been tied down to Milan until 2030, so Chelsea will need to size up a wonderfully hefty fee if they are going to wrestle him away. Overall, if Milan’s finances deteriorate, they may be forced into cashing in.
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