Chelsea are deemed to be more advanced than Arsenal in the transfer pursuit of a 25-year-old forward this summer.
London giants Chelsea and Arsenal are great rivals on the pitch, and the pair are frequently linked to the same players in the transfer rumour mill as well.
It’s interesting to see that the Premier League duo are suitors for some of the same attackers.
When it comes to the forward line, Chelsea want to sign a new central striker as they look to ease the burden on Nicolas Jackson. On top of that, Chelsea hope to sign a right-footed winger to improve their options in wide areas.
Chelsea ahead of Arsenal in Rafael Leao transfer battle
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea and Arsenal are two clubs keen on AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, 25, ahead of the summer.
It is explained that the Blues have initiated ‘informal contacts’ over a move for the Serie A attacker. Meanwhile, Arsenal are only considering the Portuguese winger as an alternative to Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, who is their priority target.
The report says that Leao’s release clause at the San Siro is worth €175m (£148m), but Milan could realistically sell him for closer to €75m (£63m). It would mean an eye-catching £85m discount for Chelsea if they can negotiate the transfer switch.
Apparently, the Milan speedster would prefer to stay in Europe despite attracting interest from Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr.
Rafael Leao is collectively admired at Chelsea by the Blues’ recruitment team, so it’ll be interesting to see if they ramp up their transfer interest.
Rafael Leao in the 2024/25 seaosn
Since joining Milan from Lille in 2019, Leao has emerged as one of Serie A’s best attackers.
The skilful left-winger is entertaining to watch with his tricks, pace and movement. Also, he’s got the end product to make key contributions in matches.
Even though this campaign has been challenging for Milan, he’s remained one of their star performers.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 48 | 12 | 13 |
It’s felt like Leao has been due a big-money transfer for several years now, so will this finally be the transfer window he exits Milan?
From a Chelsea perspective, he definitely ticks a lot of boxes with what he offers on the football pitch. However, we’d love to see the club really focus on landing a prolific goalscorer before splashing the cash on another wide player.
