Chelsea are reportedly set to submit an opening bid for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The Blues are in the market for a new No. 1, with neither Robert Sanchez or Filip Jorgensen managing to convince over the course of last season.
Enzo Maresca has made it no secret that he is keen to reshuffle his ranks this summer, with the Blues kickstarting their spending spree earlier this week with the acquisition of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town in a deal worth £30million.
Further attacking signings are being eyed, such as Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike and Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, as well as several defensive reinforcements – particularly in goal.
According to GiveMeSport, Chelsea are pushing for AC Milan’s Maignan and are expected to place an opening bid soon in the hope of signing the shot-stopper before the Club World Cup. However, as it stands, there remains a gap in valuations.
Milan are demanding between £20million and £25m for their No.1, despite the France international having just one year left on his contract at the San Siro. But, with that mind, the Blues are hopeful of striking a cut-price agreement closer to half of that amount.
Maignan is said to have already informed Milan of his desire to leave the Serie A side and join Chelsea this summer. It remains to be seen whether his stance on the matter impacts his valuation, or whether Milan stand firm and hope that Maresca’s side show a willingness to bump up their offer.
Chelsea could also head down the player swap route for Maignan if they are not willing to part with cash, having reportedly already attempted to offload several stars to West Ham as part of an offer for Mohammed Kudus – which was rejected. Robert Sanchez, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Trevoh Chalobah are among a host of players who could leave Chelsea this summer.
Joao Felix – who spent last season on loan at Milan but failed to make any sort of impact – and Carney Chukwuemeka could also be offloaded to raise funds for other signings, with reports suggesting that Noni Madueke, Wesley Fofana and Pedro Neto are not off the market either and could be sold if a sufficient offer arrives for any of the trio.