Chelsea plan January swoop for Rafael Leao

Having failed in their attempts to price Rafael Leao away from AC Milan last summer, Chelsea will return for the 23-year-old’s signature in the winter market.

Calciomercato reports that the Blues have already opened preliminary talks with Milan over the transfer of the Portuguese winger following their recent double over the Italian side.

After a slow start to their Champions League campaign, new Chelsea boss Graham Potter guided the Blues to the top of Group E with consecutive victories over the reigning Serie A champions.

The Chelsea hierarchy have reportedly used that avenue to speak with Milan over a potential deal, with the Italians also eyeing a couple of Chelsea players.

Milan were interested in Chelsea duo Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech last summer. But the Blues were reluctant to release the American, and Ziyech’s move broke down in the final stages.

Chelsea had reportedly pushed to sign Leao in the final weeks of the last transfer window and even included Pulisic in a player-plus-cash deal.

However, Milan had no interest in letting the Portuguese winger leave and have instead tabled a contract renewal offer.

Despite their strong reluctance to sell, the former Lille man has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract to extend his stay at the San Siro Stadium.

Leao has two years left on his current deal, and the Rossoneri are desperate to keep him beyond 2024. He is also interested in extending his stay at the San Siro, but there are still some details to be sorted out before he agrees to a new deal.

While the salary package Leao is demanding may not be much of a problem for Milan, they are unwilling to assist the Portuguese forward to pay his court-mandated €16.5m compensation to Sporting CP, which has caused friction in the negotiations.

Leao’s reluctance to sign a new deal has left the door open for a potential move away sometime soon.

Milan would prefer not to listen to offers for Leao in January or next summer, with Paolo Maldini stating that they want to renew the forward’s contract before the World Cup.

But the Blues are relentless in their pursuit. However, they are not alone in the race for the Portugal international, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City also circling.