Rafael Leao could be one of the most coveted young forwards in the transfer market this summer with a handful of Europe's top clubs eager to bolster their frontlines

Rio Ferdinand has forewarned Chelsea that the competition for AC Milan player Rafael Leao will include the biggest teams in the world. The 23-year-old forward was rumored to be moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but nothing came of it.

Since joining Milan in 2019, according to football.london, Leao has been attentively followed by the Blues. His contract with the Rossoneri is set to expire at the conclusion of the upcoming season. There are rumors that negotiations for a new contract between the Italian team and the Portugal international are still ongoing.

Speaking on BT Sport, Ferdinand revealed just how excited he is still see Leao in action against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-final. The former Manchester United defender said: "I saw him for 45 minutes at Chelsea, he was phenomenal. In a semi-final, it’s such a showpiece game to see a player of that calibre."

Leao and Reece James engaged in a fierce struggle in November, with the Blues defender coming out on top. Added Ferdinand: "Huge potential. No offense to AC Milan, but I'm sure one of the other big clubs in Europe will want to sign him at some point. All large clubs across the world will be vying for his signature at some point.

"In my opinion, everything is in place for someone like him to emerge from the pack and seize the spotlight. Tomorrow is when I'm going to visit him, I'm excited.

However, while Ferdinand may be excited to see Leao in action, the Portuguese star may not even appear at the San Siro on Wednesday night. The forward picked up a thigh injury inside the opening quarter of an hour against Lazio at the weekend, casting doubt over his availability.

Leao was later spotted training alone with a physio in Milan's open training session, while his teammates were put through their paces. Speaking to Sky Italia, as quoted by the Evening Standard, Stefano Pioli said: "Field work was scheduled for today.

"Tomorrow morning he’ll try to push and if he’s okay he will be present, otherwise he won’t. He could start, he could be able to play... and he may not even be on the bench.

"It will depend on the type of work he can do, because with his quality and characteristics he must be 100 per cent. Let's see, it's still open.”

Comments

Inter have made the asking price clear for wingback Denzel Dumfries during the summer transfer window clear, with incoming Chelsea coach eyeing up a move for the Dutch World Cup star.

This according to Italian news outlet Repubblica.it, who report that the 27-year-old is a major target for the Argentine who is expected to take over at Stamford Bridge, and that the Nerazzurri would expect a fee of at least €40 million for his signature. Dumfries’s future at Inter has looked uncertain for some time now, with the 26-year-old former PSV man having been strongly linked as a possible sale during the summer transfer window should the Nerazzurri need to bring in cash from the market. The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United have been reported to be interested, whilst Barcelona have reportedly also enquired about the Dutchman for the summer transfer window. However, in March Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Dumfries is no longer a major target for Chelsea as he had been in the past. The situation at Stamford Bridge has been in flux, however, with Graham Potter removed as head coach just a few months after taking over, replaced with Frank Lampard on an interim basis.

Blues are OUT of the Champions League as the defending champions prove too strong with ruthless Rodrygo scoring twice to cruise into semi-finals

Frank Lampard has become the first Chelsea manager in the club's 118-year history to lose his first four games in charge. Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge on April 6 for a short-term spell until the end of the season following the dismissal of Graham Potter. However, matters certainly haven't gone to plan so far, and Lampard has now broken an unwanted record, as reported by The Mirror. Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Wolves in Lampard's first game of his second stint in charge and that was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Last weekend Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Brighton in the league and then on Tuesday they were eliminated from the Champions League with another 2-0 gloss against Real Madrid. Following that, the Blues have fixtures against Arsenal, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. It is the first time that Chelsea have lost four consecutive matches in all competiti...

Chelsea will express their interest in signing Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana during their upcoming meeting with Inter Milan over Romelu Lukaku’s future, according to Evening Standard.

The newspaper claims Blues’ officials will travel to Italy next week to discuss the future of Lukaku, who is due to return to Chelsea in the summer when his loan deal expires at the end of the season. The Belgium striker moved to Inter on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea last summer and has impressed at the San Siro Stadium, scoring nine goals and registering three assists in 26 appearances across all competitions. The West Londoners are planning a summer clear-out in order to meet the Financial Fair Play requirements after spending £323m in the winter transfer window on eight new players as well as splashing out close to £300m last summer. However, bringing in a shot-stopper could be on the cards as they look to bolster their squad for next season. Edouard Mendy is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign after losing his first team place. The Senegal international has featured in only 11 games in all competitions having been hampered by in...

Lampardcfc

Search This Blog