Chelsea have reportedly lined up AC Milan star Rafael Leao as an alternative target to Leeds United’s Raphinha.
The Blues look set to miss out on Raphinha, who is close to completing his dream move to Barcelona. The prospect of missing out on the Brazilian winger to Barcelona has come as a big blow for the west London outfit, with manager Thomas Tuchel now forced to switch his attention elsewhere to bolster his forward options.
According to The Guardian, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry are on Chelsea’s shortlist.
Leao, 23, chipped in with 11 goals and ten assists in 34 Serie A matches last season, as AC Milan won their first Scudetto since 2011. With two years still remaining on his contract at San Siro, Milan are reluctant to sell their Portuguese and could demand at least £100million for his services this summer.
Gnabry, 26, has just one year left at Bayern Munich, which could make him a more attainable target than Leao, though, the report adds.
Rafael Leao to Chelsea – What will he add to the team?
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is searching for attacking reinforcements after the poor form of Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech last season. With Lukaku returning to Inter Milan on loan earlier, and Ziyech interested in a move to AC Milan, it is imperative that Tuchel gets his signings spot on this summer.
Chelsea considering Rafael Leao and Serge Gnabry as alternatives to Raphinha, who’s probably off to Barca #cfc https://t.co/b15yQdcvO5
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) July 12, 2022
Raheem Sterling’s potential arrival from Manchester City is certain to boost the Blues’ attacking options, but Tuchel doesn’t want the England international to be the only forward to join this window. An unpredictable, clinical wide player to go along with Sterling is reportedly Tuchel’s demand, which makes Rafael Leao an ideal target.
Leao was a key player for AC Milan last season, producing a series of impressive displays in the wide areas. Unplayable on his day, the Portuguese speedster averaged 2.9 shots, 1.3 key passes and 2.9 dribbles per game in Serie A. He was the joint-top scorer for the Rossoneri with 11 goals, and his eight assists on top of that also show the creative side of his game (stats courtesy: whoscored).
Using his burst of pace and dribbling skills, he can make some dangerous runs down the flanks and cause problems for the defenders. Leao is unpredictable in his movement as he can go both ways, take on defenders and put in dangerous crosses in the box. In addition, the 23-year-old is also a decent finisher in front of goal, making him a perfect fit in Tuchel’s system at Stamford Bridge.
With Manchester City and Liverpool making big-money moves this summer by bringing in Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez respectively, it wouldn’t surprise many if Chelsea decides to break their bank and make a statement by signing Leao.