Chelsea's search for quality additions to the squad in the transfer market will continue in January as the Blues look to end strong in the second half of the season. After a desperate summer rebuild under new ownership, the side have lacked consistency as the era under Boehly-Clearlake begins.
While there is a clear desire to transition from the old transfer model to one that involves landing young players before the competition, there is still a need to strengthen in the here and now. One of the options that could help combine the two is signing 23-year-old AC Milan star Rafael Leao.
The Portugal international continues to impress for the Rossoneri, even after missing out on a switch to Stamford Bridge back in the summer. Leao took that form to the international stage at the World Cup, ending up as his nation's second top scorer despite only making appearances from the bench.
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It's that type of form that could earn him a big move in January, though it seems as though his heart could be set on it being the Blues. That's due to the hints he has continually dropped in recent months, ranging from public conversations with Reece James down to even following Chelsea on social media platform TikTok.
Wrapped up in all of this is also his contract situation, which could push the Rossoneri to move Leao on sooner rather than later. Calciomercato reports that €80million (£69million) is the least that AC Milan will accept, which is a reduction from the reported €100million (£87.5million) valuation that has been set.
The report adds that Todd Boehly is preparing a budget for January, waiting on the sidelines for in case an opportunity arises to land the winger. It remains to be seen if they can get a deal done, however it could be a landmark one for their season, should they manage to get it over the line.
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