Chelsea have called off their plans to sign Mike Maignan from AC Milan after the two parties failed to agree on a deal – and while Fabrizio Romano has shared the reasons behind the failure, we can reveal why the move could still be salvaged later in the window.
Clubs participating in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup have been given a deadline of 7pm (BST) on Tuesday evening to conclude their business and finalise their squads ahead of the lucrative tournament, which is being staged across the United States. And while Chelsea have managed to tie up a deal for striker Liam Delap in time, they are now unlikely to add the name of Maignan to their party heading across the pond.
With the France goalkeeper’s contract expiring next summer, the 29-year-old has made it clear he is not willing to sign an extension and is open to another challenge elsewhere.
With Milan missing out on European football altogether next season, the Rossoneri are in no position to turn down offers for Maignan this summer.
Talks over a move to Stamford Bridge were initiated last week, with our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealing the 32-times capped France star was eager to make the move to London and had green-lit the prospective transfer.
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And with talks taking place over the last few days, Romano has now revealed that talks between the two clubs have now broken down – with the well-informed transfer journalist revealing the exact reason for the transfer collapse.
Posting on X, Romano wrote: ‘Mike Maignan deal now OFF between Chelsea and AC Milan. Chelsea not willing to meet Milan price, deal not proceeding in time for Club World Cup as Chelsea won’t pay “CWC tax”.’
To that end, Chelsea’s offer for Maignan was understood to have topped out at €18m (£15.2m, $20.5m), while Milan – aware of Chelsea’s wish to conclude a deal before jetting off to America – holding out for €25m (£21.4m, $29m).
As a result, Romano added: ‘CFC mantain full trust in Petrović, Sánchez, Jorgensen + talent Mike Penders for GK role.’
Mike Maignan: Why Chelsea can still resurrect transfer
Despite, Romano’s claim that Chelsea will keep the faith with their current goalkeepers, we understand the Blues remain very much keen to land Maignan and could still pursue the deal at a later date.
And per our reporter Fletcher, while he has also had it confirmed that a deal for Maignan is off for now, the Milan star has made it clear he wants to make the move to join the Blues, while manager Enzo Maresca is also making it one of his top focuses this summer to land a world-class goalkeeper.
And having flip-flopped between both Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen this season, Maresca very much sees Maignan as the player who can end that long search as they bid to make an impact on both the Premier League title race and on their return to the Champions League next season.
To that end, while Chelsea are refusing to pay over the odds now, there is a very real possibility that the Blues will re-investigate the deal at a later date to see if Milan’s stance softens and there is more room for negotiating over their asking price after the Club World Cup.
Chelsea transfer latest: Top limit set for Ekitike; Gittens hopes alive
Meanwhile, Chelsea are continuing their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, undeterred by the reported £84m asking price, as they aim to bolster their attacking options before the mini transfer window closes.
Sources indicate that the Premier League giants are prepared to negotiate, with a fee in the £65-70m range believed to be enough to secure the versatile forward’s signature this summer.
Chelsea are also increasingly confident of signing Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, who has reportedly agreed a ‘seven-year’ Blues contract amid rival interest from Arsenal.
Per Fletcher, the Blues are working hard to wrap up that deal before Tuesday’s 7pm deadline.
And finally, a swap deal involving West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Chelsea could be on the cards.
How Mike Maignan compares to Robert Sanchez this season
Maignan v Sanchez 2024/25 stats: League apps 37 v 32 Saves 99 v 95 Clean sheets 12 v 10 Goals conceded 41 v 34 Passing accuracy 84.7% v 65.3%
How Maignan’s Serie A form stacked up against Sanchez’s in the Premier League last season