Chelsea's attempts to sign Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan have fallen through, football.london understands. The Frenchman will not be joining before the Club World Cup.
After holding talks with Maignan and Milan over the past week, no transfer is going to happen before the 7pm deadline on June 10. That is the last point for registrations to happen ahead of the Club World Cup.
Chelsea can still add new players to their squad ahead of the knockout stage, should they get there. The window will open again on June 16, the day of Chelsea's first match in America, against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta.
Maignan will not be a part of Enzo Maresca's squad in the States, though. That is after negotiations ended with a clear difference in valuation of the 29-year-old.
Chelsea had been willing to offer around £13million for Maignan, who has 12 months left on his contract in Italy and is available to sign a pre-agreement in January ahead of a free transfer next summer, but Milan wanted over £20million. Maignan has been the first-choice goalkeeper at San Siro since he moved for Lille in 2021.
The France international will turn 30 at the start of July and was keen on a transfer to Chelsea, it is thought. Chelsea viewed the deal as an opportunity to improve the squad after Milan finished last season without securing European football.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Chelsea home kit
Maignan has previous Champions League experience with both Lille and Milan and also won domestic league titles in Italy and France in back-to-back seasons, when he was viewed as being among the best shot-stoppers around.
Milan's problems have seen Maignan struggle more in recent seasons but he has maintained his position as one of the most established names around. Chelsea will now enter the Club World Cup with three senior goalkeepers and a host of young options behind them.
Robert Sanchez is Maresca's No.1 having held off competition from Filip Jorgensen throughout most of last season. He was signed from Brighton in 2023 for £25million. Sanchez lost the faith of Mauricio Pochettino, who eventually selected Serbian 'keeper Djordje Petrovic for the second half of his only campaign in charge.
Petrovic spent last year at RC Strasbourg under Liam Rosenior and the BlueCo ownership. He had one of the best seasons for a goalkeeper in Europe, letting in almost 10 fewer goals than expected goals (xG) metrics predicted. That was the fifth most of any goalkeeper in the top five leagues.
The 25-year-old will return to Chelsea this summer with the goal of getting into Maresca's starting XI. The prospect of Maignan joining threatened that, as well as the position of Jorgensen and Sanchez.
Petrovic had been signed from MLS in 2023 as a backup to Sanchez for £14million but was available for a permanent transfer last summer. Chelsea ended up loaning Petrovic, where he demonstrated marked improvements at passing out from the back.
Jorgensen, on the other hand, cost £22million from Villarreal. In total it means Chelsea have spent £78million on new goalkeepers in just two years when considering teenage Belgian giant Mike Penders.
He is rated extremely highly by Chelsea after being picked up from Genk. Penders will be assessed in America along with his new teammates but is expected to head out on another loan in order to continue his development in the senior game.
Chelsea have publicly backed their goalkeepers but remain open to options in the market, such as Maignan. It waits to be seen if the club will revisit a potential transfer later on in the window.