Chelsea still ‘in the front row’ for AC Milan forward Rafael Leão — report

Chelsea’s attacking woes and goal-scoring issues have been well documented, and one of the names that has been linked as a possible solution has been AC Milan’s Rafael Leão. But given our recent spending spree and the reported pre-contract with Christopher Nkunku as well, our interest might have waned since.

Not according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) however, who claim that Chelsea are still “in the front row” for the 23-year-old, even though our interest in January was already markedly less than it had been back in the summer.

Part of that drop interest could very well be attributed to the Portugal international’s subpar season, including when facing Chelsea in the Champions League, and when representing his country at the World Cup. Overall, he has just 9 goals in 32 games after notching a career-high 14 (in 42) last season. That’s still not terrible and he’s still got plenty of pace and trickery to break down opposing defenses, but those aren’t necessarily unique qualities when compared with the players we already have.

Leão’s contract situation does remain unchanged however, having yet to agree terms with AC Milan for an extension. He’s now into the final 18 months, and if that situation drags on for too long, his name will once again become a frequent sight in the rumor mill.