Chelsea’s bid for defender shot down by AC Milan official statement

Even though there are only six days left in the summer transfer window , Chelsea are still having to scramble after defensive reinforcements. In the latest reports, the Blues seem to have had switched their focus from Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly to AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli instead. And today, we had official confirmation from the Rossoneri that Chelsea have made an attempt to purchase the 21-year-old.

"AC Milan have received a significant offer from Chelsea for our player Alessio Romagnoli. [However,] the black-and-red player is not for sale, so the proposal won't be followed through. We thank Chelsea, a club with which Milan will continue to have an excellent sporting relationship."

-source: AC Milan

Milan had deemed Romagnoli "not for sale" in earlier reports, but now we're hearing it directly from the horse's mouth. The latest bid from Chelsea for Romagnoli is believed to be around €40 million, as the Blues had reportedly made their initial approach with a €35 million offer.

Being younger and potentially better than Koulibaly, it's unlikely that Milan would accept anything under the figures offered by Chelsea to Napoli during our chase for the Senegalese defender. Nevertheless, our search for a first choice centre back continues; hopefully with a much better ending than last season's. Don’t hold your breath.