Chelsea Deal for Maignan Unlikely but Blues in Talks to Sign ‘World-Class’ Star

Chelsea are not expected to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan before Tuesday’s Club World Cup deadline. The 29-year-old was keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, but a gulf in valuation between the clubs means a deal is not anticipated to happen.

GMS understands that AC Milan offered the Blues the chance to sign Maignan after the French international made it clear to the Serie A club that he had no plans to renew his contract and wanted to play Champions League football.

Chelsea’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart saw Maignan as an opportunistic target, but informed his current employers that they would only pay £12m. AC Milan asked for £25m, which the west Londoners viewed as overpriced for a player with 12 months left on his deal.

Maignan Price Must Drop for Blues to Pounce

Goalkeeper could sign pre-contract agreement in January

Unless the price drops for Maignan, Chelsea are likely to walk away from negotiations with the awareness that he can ultimately pre-agree a contract from January for next summer.

Maignan was viewed as too strong a profile not to explore, but there remains faith in the existing goalkeepers at the club. GMS understands that suggestions head coach Enzo Maresca was driving a move for a new No.1 are wide of the mark, and that talks with Maignan were led by both sporting directors, who sensed there might be a chance to pull off smart business due to AC Milan missing out on European qualification and looking to sell.

Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Djordje Petrovic and Mike Penders will all now be assessed over the summer. The feeling within Stamford Bridge is that Sanchez ended the season strongly as the Blues qualified for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, around £45m has been invested in Jorgensen and Penders. The former was Chelsea’s first-choice shot-stopper in the UEFA Conference League, while highly-rated 19-year-old Penders joins from Genk this summer and is seen as having big potential.

Petrovic was No.1 at Chelsea under Maresca’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino in the second half of 2023/24 and was named Strasbourg’s player of the season last campaign. He is drawing significant interest from across Europe in case Chelsea decide to sanction a sale.

West Londoners Working on a Deal for Gittens

Jamie Gittens in action for Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea’s current priority is to find a right-footed left-winger after Jadon Sancho returned to Manchester United, and with Mykhailo Mudryk currently serving a provisional suspension after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. Sancho and Chelsea couldn’t agree terms following his loan spell, while Mudryk’s case is likely to take time regardless of the outcome. He denies knowingly taking a banned substance.

Chelsea are currently working on a deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens and have seen a £30m bid rejected. Dortmund are willing to sell for upwards of £42m and Gittens has already agreed terms on a seven-year contract. Chelsea were never in a rush to try and finalise the ‘world-class’ wide man’s arrival before the Club World Cup, and it is not thought a deal will be agreed in time, but discussions will continue in the coming days.

Chelsea also still appreciate Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and have considered Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams as alternatives.

All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 10/06/2025

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