‘There Was Interest’—Chelsea Sent Strong Warning Over Mike Maignan Transfer by AC Milan Chief | OneFootball

AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has warned Chelsea that goalkeeper Mike Maignan will remain with the club for the 2025–26 season.

Chelsea wanted to sign Maignan in time for the Club World Cup but found themselves unable to agree a deal with Milan before the tournament began—a self-imposed deadline by the Blues.

Maignan is approaching the final year of his contract with Milan and is reported to have warned the Serie A side that he will walk away on a free transfer next summer, having been keen to make the move to Chelsea.

Talks between the two clubs have now collapsed and Tare assured Milan fans that Maignan is not going anywhere this summer.

“Maignan is not leaving, he will be at Milan next season too,” Tare said. “There was interest from a Premier League club but in the end an agreement was not reached.

“Knowing that Maignan is a point of reference not only on the pitch but also off it, we decided to focus on him and look forward together.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Maignan is thought to be over. / IMAGO/Buzzi

“The market is unpredictable but for us he remains a fixed point of this team. We need to convey a bit of enthusiasm and for this reason we are trying to understand what is needed to improve this team: they will all be players functional to this project to increase the quality of this team that was already strong.”

Appearing in the same press conference was Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani, who admitted they did not receive an acceptable offer for the goalkeeper.

“There was interest from an English club, it was not considered interesting,” Furlani added.

“Mike is an important player for Milan and he was very correct, as was his agent: there was openness to this interest but at the same time there was no forcing on their part. The results will judge the medium and long-term future.”

Chelsea are not expected to try and change Milan’s stance. Robert Sánchez remains the preferred starter under Enzo Maresca, who also has Filip Jörgensen at his disposal. Meanwhile, hopes are high for 19-year-old Mike Penders.

Đorđe Petrović has also returned from an impressive loan spell with Strasbourg but, after requesting to be left out of the Club World Cup squad, is expected to leave permanently this summer alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is on the cusp of a move to Arsenal.