From Italy: Chelsea back in for long-term transfer target whose future is in doubt again
Chelsea are reportedly gathering information on AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan as they revive their interest in a possible transfer deal.
The France international only recently signed a new contract with Milan, but it seems his future is in doubt once again, alerting the Blues.
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That’s according to a report from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, who make it clear that Chelsea’s interest never really went away, which isn’t too surprising.
Chelsea still need Mike Maignan
It’s obvious to anyone who’s watched Chelsea this season that they urgently need a new goalkeeper as an upgrade on Robert Sanchez, and Maignan would surely fit the bill.
The 30-year-old has shone during his time at Milan and has also performed well as the number one for the French national team.
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By contrast, Sanchez has been inconsistent and error-prone for Chelsea, and if there’s a genuine opportunity to come back in for Maignan to replace him, it’s an opportunity the west Londoners can’t afford to miss out on.
How we rate Mike Maignan to Chelsea transfer
It remains to be seen if CFC can definitely get this deal done as Milan will surely do all they can to keep Maignan, but here’s how we’d rate the potential signing with our Transfer Fit rating system (click here to find out more about how it works)…
| Mike Maignan | TOTAL SCORE: 19/25 |
| Transfer fee | ** |
| Performance | ***** |
| Achievements | ***** |
| Career phase | ** |
| Squad need | ***** |
19/25 is a high score, with Maignan only losing points for being a bit old (not as much of an issue for a goalkeeper, in fairness), and the fact that he’d probably be pretty expensive.
Overall, there’s no reason for Chelsea not to try pursuing this signing again, though it might also be worth treating this story with some scepticism as well.
Why? Because we know how strict this current Chelsea ownership have been about signing young players, and it’s very hard to imagine them going all out for a player approaching his 31st birthday.
Perhaps the Blues will be willing to make an exception to their transfer policy every once in a while, but they’d surely still prioritise a younger ‘keeper if they do decide to replace Sanchez this summer.
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