There was a lot of excitement among the Chelsea fanbase when it emerged that the club were seriously interested in signing AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The 29-year-old is a top shot-stopper, and it looks like he is actually open to a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
It has been claimed that Maignan is interested in joining Chelsea after entering the final 12 months of his contract at Milan.
In theory, it should be a fairly easy deal to do. But the club’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart could be about to complicate things.
Chelsea want AC Milan to negotiate lower deal for Mike Maignan by Monday
With Maignan having less than a year to run on his contract, Chelsea could sign the Frenchman for a bargain fee.
It has been widely reported that Milan are only demanding £25m for Maignan. Yet it is a fee that the Blues are seemingly reluctant to pay.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has shared on X that Chelsea only value Maignan at €10m (£8.4m) and want Milan to agree to a deal by next Monday. If that is the case, then they are better off not even making a bid for the France international.
Whether he has a year on his contract or not, Maignan is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Offering less than £10m for him is insulting. The directors at Milan would probably prefer to keep the player for another season and lose their asset for nothing next summer.
Simply put, if Chelsea are not planning on making a £25m offer or something close to that, then they are wasting everyone’s time.
Chelsea fans won’t forgive Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart if they mess up Mike Maignan deal
Winstanley and Stewart are yet to win over Chelsea fans, and that will not change if they cannot land one of Europe’s top keepers for just £25m.
Maignan can make saves and play with his feet. As per FBref, the 2021/22 Serie A season saw Maignan record an impressive 81.2% save percentage.
He also had a pass completion rate of 79.1% the same campaign. To put that into perspective, Robert Sanchez’s was only 69.7% in the Premier League this term.
Chelsea fans are not going to be happy with Winstanley, Stewart and the rest of the club if Maignan is not starting games at the Bridge next season.
