Chelsea's summer escapades were well documented last year with Todd Boehly embarking on a whirlwind tour of Europe as interim sporting director. In the co-owner's first transfer window he left no stone unturned in a bid to make a name for himself and get business done for the club.
It resulted in one of the most slap-dash, scattergun and so-far wasteful sets of spending in the club's history, and there's quite a list to compete with. As well as the £250m spent to sign Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and more, Chelsea dug out on teenagers and youth talent, too.
Of their big money signings, only Fofana has so far been close to a success, even Raheem Sterling's double against Nottingham Forest cannot change that. There was more to the window behind the scenes, though. Jude Bellingham, Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde and Matthijs de Ligt were all strongly linked.
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Time was wasted trying to sign Presnel Kimpembe, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski. Boehly met with Jorge Mendes to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo on at least one occasion as well. There were many more deals that didn't come off for the new owners, too.
One of those was trying to lure Rafael Leao away from AC Milan. The Portuguese winger had a breakout season in his third year in Serie A during the Scudetto win for Milan and established himself as one of the most exciting attackers in the world. His 11 goals and ten assists saw him linked with major money moves to Manchester City, Real Madrid and also Chelsea.
The Blues were one of several teams monitoring him and his contract, which expires in 2024. Although his £138m ($172m) release clause at the time was steep, there was hope of a getting a lower price due to the uncertainty of his future. Having spent so much already, the cash offer alone was far too high for Chelsea and so they went down a different path, according to the Athletic.
In what wasn't uncommon at the time, Boehly offered Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic to Milan as part of a swap deal to bring Leo to London. It is said that he was valued at £86.5m ($108m) by the club, ruling out the release clause, but they were keen to move on their overpaid and underperforming assets as well as bringing in a new one.
Ziyech and Pulisic both had attention from elsewhere and were close to transfers away at several points but nothing was agreed. They now look set to exit the club this summer instead after another disappointing season at Stamford Bridge. There is no feeling that a swap deal for Leao would be possible anymore, though.
The 23-year-old has agreed to extend his stay at San Siro and has a £152.4m ($190m) release clause in a new five-year-contract. That is set to keep suitors at bay and rule out any immediate deals. It also poses a new question for Pulisic and Ziyech and where their futures lay.
It is also reported that Chelsea saw Leao as a potential striker option for the team, a hint as to where they felt improvement was needed throughout. The same can still be said with a centre forward still at the top of their summer list, though Leao is not likely to be that man.
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