You know when the brilliant Reece James approves of a footballer, he must be doing something right.
"3 hardest players I've ever played against are all left wingers! Vinicius Jr, Leao and Mane!", was the tweet from the Chelsea right-back when conducting a Twitter Q&A session.
One name on the list may stand out more to Chelsea supporters than other – that of Rafael Leao. The 23-year-old winger, who joined AC Milan for around £25million in 2019 from Lille, has been watched closely by Chelsea ever since the move, football.london understands.
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Now, three years on, Leao has less than two years remaining on his contract at the San Siro. However, Milan, understandably given his contribution in Italy over the past few seasons, are keen to tie him down to a new contract.
Talks between the Rossoneri and Leao's entourage have been undergoing for a while but no agreement has been reached just yet. The Portugal international is currently on World Cup duty for his country but recently revealed talks will continue with his club once the tournament is over.
"I am happy and proud," Leao explained to Gazzetta dello Sport. "I have to stay focused on the World Cup then I'll speak with Milan upon my return.
"Renewal? We already had a meeting with [Paolo] Maldini just before joining the national team, it was a positive meeting. Once I return to Milan we will discuss it better."
Leao featured twice against Chelsea for Milan earlier this season in the Champions League group, but such was the dominance of the Blues on those two occasions, the Portuguese attacker was restricted to a cameo role. And, of course, the huge challenge of coming up against James.
It hasn't put Chelsea off Leao, however, and football.london understands the club hold a very strong interest in the winger ahead of the January transfer window. It is unlikely, though, that any move would happen in the mid-season window. Big-money moves tend not to happen during the season but next summer could be the one in terms of a transfer.
Milan, though, are desperate to keep hold of Leao. That may be unrealistic, though, with Real Madrid also holding an interest. If the Italian club can tie him down to a new contract, then it would protect his value considering he's well into the final two years of his deal.
It's understood that in his current contract, there is a £127million release clause, but Chelsea will try to take advantage of the uncertainty of his future and force that price down. It's expected that Chelsea will lose at least two attacking players over the next couple of windows.
Hakim Ziyech has wanted to leave the club for some time now and with the Moroccan clearly not part of Graham Potter's current plans, he could look to push for a move next month. Meanwhile, the future of Christian Pulisic remains uncertain, but some have been calling for the American to get more of an opportunity later this month as he continues to impress for the United States in the World Cup.
Chelsea are expected to remain in dialogue with Leao and Milan between now and the rest of the season. The midfield area remains the priority for the Blues, however, with plenty of talks going on behind the scenes to try and get a head-start on their rivals.
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