Chelsea will reportedly have to spend a figure close to £50m in order to land young AC Milan centre-back Alessio Romagnoli in January.
English daily The Sun have claimed that despite the addition of David Luiz, Antonio Conte is unhappy with the defensive performances of the Chelsea squad thus far this season and is looking for a January move for 21-year-old Italy international Alessio Romagnoli. However, according to the report, Chelsea would have to cough up at least £50m if they are to convince AC Milan to part with their academy graduate.
Romagnoli started 33 Serie A matches last season and has started in 6 of the seven league matches for the Serie A giants this season. The player is highly regarded in Italy and was the subject of interest from the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea during the summer transfer window.
While approaches from both clubs were not entertained by AC Milan, Chelsea refused to give up and launched an attempt to sign the player for new manager Antonio Conte, who also seems fond of the defender’s talents.
AC Milan rejected multiple Chelsea bids, with the Blues going up to a maximum of £35m before admitting defeat in the pursuit of the 21-year-old. Chelsea eventually signed David Luiz to beef up the defence in a deadline day spree along with left-back Marcos Alonso.
AC Milan’s current squad boasts a plethora of impressive young talent in every department. From the mercurial Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, who has been touted as the next Buffon for Italy, to midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who is likened to Andrea Pirlo in terms of technique and playing style, the Rossoneri seem to have a promising future.
Alessio Romagnoli is another promising talent who is set be a big part of the club’s future. The Italian, who has come through the ranks at AC Milan, has locked down a permanent spot on the team sheet at the centre of the defence and has even made his senior international debut for the Azzurri.
A developing defender such as Romagnoli would definitely add some much-needed steel to the Chelsea defence in the short term while giving the Blues a potentially world class centre-back option for the long term.
