- On Tuesday, it was revealed by the player’s club that he ‘is not leaving’
- Chelsea had looked at a deal for him prior to the beginning of the Club World Cup
- LISTEN to Whistleblowers: Are Arsenal fans right to think they’ve been aggrieved by the fixtures?
Chelsea have suffered a blow in the transfer market as they were told that their top target was not for sale.
On Tuesday, it was revealed by the player’s club that he ‘is not leaving’ for Stamford Bridge this summer.
Enzo Maresca’s side had previously looked at a deal for the individual prior to the beginning of the Club World Cup.
However, an agreement could not be reached as Chelsea wanted to pay £15milllion for the player, whose club wanted at least £20million.
AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare told reporters that goalkeeper Mike Maignan will not be departing for the Premier League side.
He said: ‘‘Maignan is not leaving, he will be at Milan again next season.
‘There was interest from a Premier League club but in the end no agreement was found.’
‘Also knowing that Maignan is an important point of reference not only on the pitch, but also off the pitch, we decided to focus on him for next season and to move forward together.
‘Football is unpredictable, but for us he remains a point of reference in this team.’
It comes as a blow to Chelsea in their pursuit of a new first-choice goalkeeper after Maresca appeared unimpressed with the performances of both Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen – who he both dropped as number one throughout last season.
The pair could be challenged by youngster Mike Penders for a starting place after he returned to the fold having been on loan at Belgian side Genk the previous campaign.
However, in what may come as a surprise move to some Blues fans, Djordje Petrovic is set to leave after being left out of Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad.
He enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in 2024-25 having been Chelsea’s number one towards the end of 2023-24.
Chelsea have been given a boost elsewhere, as a move for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens could be finalised ‘imminently’, according to reports.
Chelsea’s pursuit of the young forward appeared to hit stumbling block when it emerged that Bayern Munich were interested.
Their intervention, though, is now not thought to prove an issue, with the player himself preferring a move to Chelsea.
