Chelsea move away from €100m target they were close to 2 years ago | OneFootball

Rafael Leao was a name mentioned a lot in Chelsea rumours a couple of years ago, but not as much anymore.

Personally his form has dipped, and his club AC Milan have had a poor season. The asking price that the Italian club put on their star winger seemed to push away a lot of interest, but that rather backfired when he was dropped at different times by both Paolo Sousa and Sergio Conceicao last season.

Now they’re much more open to selling, and at a much more reasonable price.

CaughtOffside today report that Chelsea are still interested in buying Leao, but only at a knockdown price. He is still potentially a brilliant player if motivated and used in the right way, and there are few out there with his one on one explosiveness.

But the price would have to come down a long way from the €100m that Milan were asking for a couple of years ago.

Premier League rivals have mixed needs for Leao who Milan may struggle so shift

Rafael Leao in action for AC Milan against Bologna (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Arsenal are interested, but see Nico Williams as their main option for the moment. Then there’s Manchester United, who have a Portuguese coach and desperately need some firepower out wide. Leao might want to play in the Champions League, but Milan are going the wrong way fast.

Leao now a distant option after years at the top of Chelsea’s list

It still feels possible that Chelsea move for Leao happens, but given he’s now 25 and has major wage demands, we think the sporting directors will feel there are better options for them out there.

Still, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on if Milan get desperate to sell as they look to regenerate their squad this summer.