Chelsea could be given the opportunity to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan in a deal involving Joao Felix, it has been claimed.
Felix left Stamford Bridge in the winter transfer window to join Milan on a loan deal until the end of the season. The forward had only moved to Chelsea last summer, signing in a £46million (€55.2m / $57m) deal.
However, Felix did not manage to get into Enzo Maresca’s first-choice eleven, forcing him to consider his options and resultantly head to Milan.
The Serie A giants have paid a £5m loan fee for Felix but do not have the option to buy him this summer.
According to Calciomercato, the Portugal international has made a big impression during the early stages of his Milan loan and there is already talk about them trying to sign him permanently.
Milan might struggle to meet Felix’s price tag as Chelsea do not want to take a big financial hit on him. The report has suggested one of two Milan stars could swap places with Felix to help the deal reach completion.
The first is electric Milan winger Leao. It is claimed that Milan could try and entice Chelsea into selling Felix and paying an extra fee to land Leao in return.
Leao would be an exciting capture for Chelsea as he has established himself as one of the best players in Italy in recent seasons. The 25-year-old – one of Felix’s Portugal team-mates – has notched nine goals and seven assists in 32 games so far this season.
The report also mentions defender Fikayo Tomori as someone who could swap places with Felix.
As Tomori is not as valuable as Leao, he would likely move in a straight swap, rather than a player-plus-cash deal.
Chelsea already know Tomori’s capabilities well, as he came through their academy and made 27 first-team appearances before leaving in January 2021 in search of game time.
Tomori was a key player for Milan during the first few years of his spell there, but the Rossoneri are now open to his departure.
Chelsea must now weigh up whether to reunite with the 27-year-old as they hunt reinforcements in central defence.
Leao, meanwhile, would help to bolster Maresca’s options at left wing. Chelsea are searching for a new player who can provide Jadon Sancho with competition amid uncertainty surrounding Mykhailo Mudryk’s future.
