Chelsea ‘offered TWO stars in a swap deal with AC Milan for Rafael Leao’… but Italian giants only wanted his £131m release clause paid in full
- AC Milan star Rafael Leao continues to be one of the standout players in Serie A
- He recently signed a new contract with Milan to end speculation over his future
- Chelsea tried to bring him in last summer and offered two players in exchange
Chelsea reportedly offered two players in exchange when trying to strike a stunning deal to sign AC Milan star Rafael Leao last summer.
The Portuguese winger has dazzled for Stefano Pioli’s side since joining in 2019, scoring 40 goals and adding 34 assists in 159 games.
He was a major part of their Scudetto triumph last season when he scored 11 goals and added 10 assists which led to him being named the Serie A MVP.
As a result, Leao was attracting interest from many top European clubs with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.
And, according to The Athletic, Chelsea attempted to lure him away from the Rossoneri with an ambitious proposition.
Chelsea reportedly made a stunning attempt to sign AC Milan star Rafael Leao last summer
Co-owners Behdad Eghbali (left) and Todd Boehly (right) offered two different Chelsea players in exchange to sweeten any potential transfer deal
Leao had just helped to guide Milan to the Scudetto after scoring 11 goals and adding 10 assists
At the time, the Blues were in the midst of their first transfer window under the Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali-led ownership, with the group subsequently spending more than £600m on several players across the summer and winter windows.
They presented several different options to try and force through a move for the Milan star.
The report states Chelsea valued Leao – who has also won 18 caps for Portugal – at around £87m and planned to include a player in exchange to sweeten any potential transfer deal.
Two separate stars were offered by the club and these were out-of-favour forwards Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.
As negotiations dragged on, the club’s valuation of both players – who have struggled for gametime this season – reduced in an attempt to tempt Milan to take one of them.
Pioli’s side were not for budging and felt the Blues’ interest had arisen…