Chelsea keeping tabs on AC Milan duo as agent in constant talks with them
According to a report from 90min, Chelsea has asked super-agent Mino Riola about the situation of two AC Milan players. The Blues want to be updated about these players. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessio Romagnoli are the two players that Chelsea has inquired about. Both of them have been regular for AC Milan this season, as they sit on the top of Serie A.
Chelsea did sign Edu Mendy this season but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s situation at the club is an interesting one. He had his breakthrough into Milan’s first team when he was 16 years old. Since then he has kept that position. The Italian is only 21 years old but he had already amassed more than 200 Serie A appearances, gaining valuable experience.
What is significant is that he has less than one year left on his current contract. This means that if fresh terms are not agreed between him and the club, he will be free to agree to a move to another club next season. The likes of Juventus and PSG are also said to be interested in him. Though all of them have good goalkeepers Donnarumma’s situation is not usual.
A young player of his experience and caliber is not available for free every day. Though he has indicated that he is happy at San Siro but he is open to moving as well. Riola wants Milan to offer him £200,000-a-week but they are yet to oblige with this demand.
Interest in Alessio Romagnoli from Chelsea ?: It should not be surprising that Chelsea wants to sign the Italian international. The centre back has been the leader at the back for the Rossoneri just at the age of 25. He has been previously linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as well. It is also noteworthy that the player has just 18 months left on his current contract with the Italians.
The Premier League giants did sign Thiago Silva but he is not there for the long term. Lampard is building a title-winning team at Stamford Bridge. He has plenty of options going front and his midfield is also filled with quality players. However, he is yet to completely find his long term defensive options. Alongside Silva, Kurt Zouma has been a player reborn.
But there are doubts about other players. Fikayo Tomori can’t seem to break into Chelsea’s first team. Andreas Christensen hasn’t been good enough, while Rudiger seems to be out of favor. Thus in the long term, Chelsea will need new centre backs. It has also been questioned that the Blues have lacked leaders in their team.
Romagnoli can certainly fill that void given that he is the captain of the team. AC Milan could also be tempted to sell him because next season he will just have one year left on his contract. They would want to sell him rather than lose him for free a year later.
Potential alternatives for Chelsea?: With the goalkeeper situation, Chelsea is in a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, Mendy is keeping clean sheets after clean sheets. He has made fantastic saves and he brings a certain level of calmness at the back. Mendy is making things look very easy. However, the Donnaruma position is just too tempting for any club.
The youngster has the potential to become one of the best goalkeepers in world football. He is only 21 years old and if one of the top clubs signs him now they could potentially have a top goalkeeper for at least a decade. In the current markets, clubs have to pay a premium to sign such a player. But Italian could be available for a free transfer.
When it comes to defenders Chelsea does have other alternatives. The Blues have been linked to other players like Pau Torres and Ben White. But these players will be expensive and Romagnoli might not be given he will only have one year left on his contract. Thus the question arises whether Chelsea will spend big on defenders or will they go for the AC Milan defender.
Another alternative could in short options like Sergio Ramos, David Alaba, and Jermone Beotang. All these players will be available on a free transfer in January. Except for Alaba both Ramos and Boetang are in their 30’s. Despite this, they still have the quality and experience of winning big trophies. Chelsea could take this route as well.