Chelsea given an unlikely key in Rafael Leao negotiations by Milan
Robin Bairner
- 28 Sept 2022 07:45 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have been given ammunition in their hopes of signing Milan forward Rafael Leao by the Serie A club, who reportedly want a player already on the Stamford Bridge side’s books.
According to Calciomercato, the Rossoneri are interested in striker Armando Broja, who spent last year on loan at Southampton but has struggled to find game time at Stamford Bridge this season.
Indeed, the 21-year-old, who is valued at €40 million by FootballTransfers, has played only 124 minutes of football so far this season, spread across two competitions and six substitute appearances.
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This is in sharp contrast to his status at Saints, where he was a regular starter in 2021/22 and scored nine goals across all competitions.
Despite an unspectacular scoring record, Milan appear to have been taken by Broja’s all-round game.
Indeed, they are far from the first side to have taken an interest in the Albania international forward, who was widely coveted in the Premier League in the summer transfer window but did not make a move because of Chelsea’s lack of options at No.9.
Broja could provide route to Leao
Crucially, Milan’s interest in Broja could provide a key to Chelsea landing Leao, who they have already had a €120m bid rejected for. The striker could potentially be a makeweight in any deal, softening any financial blow for the Blues, who already spent a world record sum in the summer transfer window.
Certainly, with Manchester City also interested in the Portugal international, he could provide a valuable pawn to use in negotiations.
The 23-year-old Leao has emerged as one of the most valuable up-and-coming attackers in world football over the past couple of seasons thanks to his exploits in Serie A. After scoring 11 and creating 10 last season to lead Milan to the Italian title, he has backed that up with three goals and three assists already this time around in the top flight.
Leao is not a like-for-like replacement for Broja because he tends to play off the left wing, but he is certainly a player Chelsea would consider sacrificing their backup No.9 for.
