Chelsea are likely to be in the market for a new winger at the end of this season, with them being long-term admirers of one name in particular.

The Blues have been keen on signing Rafael Leao for a number of seasons now, with him being mentioned as a key target for the new owners despite interest already existing.

The current wingers at Stamford Bridge have not been setting the world alight. Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke have all come in for criticism this season.

Chelsea chiefs are not impressed by Sancho in particular, and it has been claimed they are still looking to sign a new left-winger despite the England international joining permanently this summer.

AC Milan open to selling Rafael Leao amid Chelsea transfer interest

Club captain Reece James is a notable fan of the Portugal international. James mentioned Leao as one of his toughest opponents after lining up against him in the Champions League.

Despite admiration, Chelsea didn’t want to pay Leao’s release clause back in 2022, however Milan’s stance on a deal seems to have softened.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Serie A side are not convinced Leao has actually improved in the past few years.

The report goes on to say that they could be willing to accept a fee as low as £66m for the winger, less than half his release clause.

Graham Potter wanted to sign Leao when he was in charge of the club, and even though names such as Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens have been mentioned as targets recently the desire to sign the 25-year-old has remained.

Joao Felix holds the key to Rafael Leao deal

Chelsea have held a strong working relationship with Milan, who have a number of former Blues on their books.

Their most recent addition from Stamford Bridge was Joao Felix, who joined on loan in January. Milan are keen on permanently signing Felix at the end of this season.

It has been mentioned that the Serie A side may struggle to meet the financial demands Chelsea will have for the Portuguese star to leave permanently.

Milan could offer a swap Chelsea, and with Leao’s admiration at Stamford Bridge and his current club’s lack of faith in him could present a perfect opportunity for the Blues to bring in a long-term target at last.

AC Milan know that they need to win tonight against Feyenoord to have a chance of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League, meaning the pressure is on.

The Rossoneri were simply not at the races in Rotterdam and failed to break down their resilient hosts. The only goal of the game came in the opening three minutes through Igor Paixao and it means that Milan will need to come from behind to progress for the first time since 2007.

There are a number of absences to deal with as Alessandro Florenzi, Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain injured, while Luka Jovic, Alex Jimenez, Warren Bondo and Riccardo Sottil are not in the UEFA squad list.

Today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport predicts a 4-2-3-1 system from Sergio Conceicao with a back four of Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlovic and Theo Hernandez in front of Mike Maignan.

Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders are down as the double pivot, with Joao Felix operating ahead of them in the attacking midfielder role.

Yunus Musah is down as the right winger and Rafael Leao on the opposite flank supporting the striker Santiago Gimenez. It could well be a slightly different system in and out of possession, though.

Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Joao Felix, Leao; Gimenez.

Predicted Feyenoord XI (4-3-3): Wellenreuther; Read, Beelen, Hancko, Smal; Moder, Milambo, Bueno; Moussa, Carranza, Paixao.

AC Milan have been approached by Galatasaray regarding the signing of Emerson Royal, according to what Fabrizio Romano is reporting.

Emerson arrived at Milan from Spurs just a few months ago and he slotted straight in as the new starting right-back, overtaking the club captain Davide Calabria in the pecking order quickly.

However, the Brazilian does not seem to have fixed the problem for good because he continues to be the subject of heavy criticism due to low overall performance levels, which has seen Milan active in the market.

There are a lot of different stories circulating at the moment with regards to what January business Milan might do but it seems like Kyle Walker is on the way in from Manchester City, who would obviously compete for the spot.

According to the latest from Fabrizio Romano, Galatasaray have now ‘approached AC Milan over Emerson Royal’ as a possible option for the right side of their defence. Initial contact ‘has been made’, while he mentioned that Walker will be arriving as a new right-back.

Milan are pushing ahead with the deal and news is expected in the coming days, especially given that Walker has been left out of the squad entirely for City’s last two games. In the meantime, it remains to be seen what the stance on Emerson is.

‘The club of dreams’ – Kjaer expresses love for Milan after officially announcing retirement

Simon Kjaer has made the decision to hang up his boots at the age of 35, and declared it a dream ending to have played his last game for AC Milan.

Kjaer ended up playing over 600 games in an illustrious career which saw him turn out for Palermo, Roma, Atalanta, Milan, Wolfsburg, Lille and Sevilla. He made 132 appearances for the Danish national team too, captaining them in major tournaments.

After weeks of speculation about whether or not he would pen a new deal, the agent of Kjaer – Mikkel Beck – confirmed before the end of last season that the defender would leave Milan at the end of the season once his contract expired.

He gave an emotional speech on the field at San Siro to bid farewell, and then it was a case of where he might go next with various options mentioned, such as a possible return to his home land of Denmark.

The announcement has now arrived that Kjaer has decided to officially retire from football having been without a club since leaving Milan in the summer, and he gave an interview to TV2 Sport in Denmark to confirm it.

“It’s not a decision I made after the summer, I had been thinking about it since before the European Championship. In the autumn of 2023, I can see that my time at Milan could be coming to an end and I asked myself what I was going to do then,” he said (via BeSoccer).

“From here there were many components that influenced the future. The children, the family, the national team and Milan, the club of dreams. There were many things that meant that after the European Championship it ended like this.

“I waited for something to arrive, but I had to decide first for my family and then for the sporting aspect. I don’t regret anything. I don’t miss anything in this sense.

“I had the end of my time at Milan in mind. I knew very well that it was going to be very complicated to find something else and the process, in my mind, could not have had a better outcome. I had my farewell at the San Siro. There, I knew it was my end.

“I have had no need to inform anyone but myself. Looking back, easily, I could have made a much more mediatic farewell and signed for another big club after Milan, but I have no need. That’s why we are also sitting here in January: because, for me, it was not important to have a big farewell.”

AC Milan are reportedly looking to make space in their squad for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford by offloading a forward. The Red Devils are keen to find a new club for Rashford in the January transfer window after he fell out of favour with Ruben Amorim.

Rashford, who is open to a fresh challenge, has been exploring potential exit strategies this month. Milan appears to be the most likely destination after the 27-year-old dismissed the idea of relocating to Saudi Arabia or Turkey at this point in his career.

However, financial constraints have complicated the move, as Rashford earns £325,000 per week at United until June 2028. Despite this, Milan are eager to secure him on an initial loan deal until the end of the season, but are reluctant to cover even half of his wages, given that their highest earner, Alvaro Morata, only receives £150,000.

Nonetheless, Milan are continuing negotiations with United and are progressing with other January window activities that could facilitate his arrival.

Reports in Italy claim that Milan forward Noah Okafor is set to sign for RB Leipzig on an initial loan deal that could become permanent for around €25million (£21m) in the summer.

The Swiss forward, who joined the Serie A side from RB Salzburg for €15.5m (£13m) in the summer of 2023, is considered surplus to requirements.

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Noah Okafor

Noah Okafor is closing in on a move for RB Leipzig

Okafor’s Bundesliga switch will therefore open up space for Rashford to break into Sergio Conceicao’ side – as well as free funds to ensure Milan can afford the versatile forward’s wages.

The England forward’s brother and agent, Dane, has been in Italy hashing out the deal, while United seem willing to let Rashford go, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe intimating every squad member has their price.

Rashford himself hinted at a change of scenery in December: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps. When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford’s agent has travelled to Italy for talks

“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.”

Rashford has been sidelined since United’s Europa League clash on December 12, but with seven goals and three assists this season, he may well find his fresh start away from Old Trafford when the transfer window shuts on February 3.