Chelsea are resigned to losing their goalkeeper to Real Madrid after he made it clear he won’t be signing a new contract. This was following the expiration of the current keeper and Chelsea won’t let him go until they find a replacement. Thibaut Courtois is set to leave the club for a reported €35 million. This is a high price for a goalkeeper but low in today’s market. However, it should be enough to coax an appropriate replacement. Kasper Schmeichel and Petr Cech were the first players to be related with a move to The Blues, while AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is a new name in the mix.
Gianluigi Donnarumma to Chelsea
Donnarumma made his Milan debut as a 16-year-old, becoming a football sensation in the process. He has been involved in quite a bit of controversy since. Last season, Milan supporters turned against him after he rejected a new contract with the club and questioned his commitment. They settled down following his change of heart, but his performances last season woke up the doubters once more.
The Italian club was found to be in breach of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules, which resulted in a Europa League ban this season. They need to sell in order to comply with the rules. AC Milan’s sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli realizes this and is prepared to let any player go for the right price.
“If a good enough offer arrived, any of our players could be sold. There are far richer clubs out there and we have to choose other paths.”
Gigi Donnarumma is one of the players who could fetch a very handsome fee. However, Chelsea faces a major obstacle in acquiring him, as Donnarumma’s agent is Mino Raiola. The relationship between the London outfit and Raiola is not good, to put it mildly. It became strained after the transfer dealings of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, both of whom were promised to Chelsea, yet joined Manchester United instead.
Kasper Schmeichel to Chelsea
Kasper Schmeichel appears to be a more realistic option. Leicester City recently signed a Liverpool backup Danny Ward, signalling they might be preparing for life without the Dane between the posts. The 31-year-old was excellent for Denmark during the World Cup and is at a stage in his career where he might be seeking a new challenge, along with consistent exposure to European football.
Petr Cech to Chelsea
Cech was Wenger’s No.1 last season, but the arrival of Bernd Leno changes his outlook for the season. At 36 years of age, he’s approaching the end of his illustrious career and where better to finish it than in the club where he spent most of it? For now, no official offer has been made, at least according to Cech’s agent Viktor Kolar.
“It is always busy during every transfer window around Petr Cech, as a great Premier League person.”
“However, he maximally focuses on the new season at Arsenal, no specific offer is available.”
He’s probably Chelsea’s fall back option at the moment, as they’ll likely try to acquire a younger keeper with more upside. However, if they’re unable to do so, Cech could be back protecting the Stamford Bridge goals.
