Chelsea have opened talks over €80m A-list goalkeeper: report
Chelsea have been linked with yet another big-money move
Chelsea’s summer transfer window this year was a typically hectic affair as the club again made a series of moves that baffled many within the game.
No less than 11 players arrived at the club during a £219.6million spree, but despite this latest influx of new players, the club were still looking to bring more in.
The club’s failed deadline day move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was well documented, with the club said to be going back in for him in January, but reports of another potential target has emerged in the Italian press.
Chelsea make 'more than one enquiry' for AC Milan stopper Mike Maignan
One area where Chelsea appear to be especially well stocked is at goalkeeper, with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen competing for the No. 1 shirt at Stamford Bridge this season, while Kepa Arrizabalaga and Dorde Petrovic are out on loan.
But according to Corriere dello Sport, that didn’t stop the Blues making ‘more than one enquiry’ for AC Milan stopper Mike Maignan.
The Rossoneri reportedly dug their heels in after Chelsea were joined by Bayern Munich in sounding out a transfer, putting an €80million asking price on the France international, who FourFourTwo ranked as the fourth-best goalkeeper in the world earlier this year.
Maignan’s representatives are currently talking to Milan about a new contract, with the 29-year-old’s current deal set to expire in 2026, but the player is said to be happy at the club with no desire to leave.
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Maignan was a €15million signing for Milan in 2021 and won the award for the Best Goalkeeper in Serie A at the end of his first season at the San Siro, as the club won their first league title in 11 years.
This form meant that he succeeded Hugo Lloris in goal for the French national team after the former Spurs man hung up his gloves in January 2023, with Maignan playing in all of Les Bleus Euro 2024 matches this summer.
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In FourFourTwo’s opinion, there’s not really any reason why Chelsea need to make a big-money splash on a goalkeeper. But, hey, does that ever stop them?
Maignan, who is valued at €38million by Transfermarkt has developed into one of the game’s best goalkeepers in recent seasons and by that logic he would improve the Blues’ goalkeeper corps, so perhaps this is one to watch next summer if the former Lille man does not reach a new agreement with Milan.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.