Chelsea: £127m star 'could move pretty soon' amid Stamford Bridge links

Chelsea could benefit from Rafael Leao’s agent attempting to get rid of the release clause written into his AC Milan contract as it may make negotiations over a move to Stamford Bridge easier in January, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The west Londoners were busy during the summer window and spent more than £250million on reinforcements, but head coach Thomas Tuchel was unable to secure Leao’s services.

According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Leao is set to pen a new long-term contract with AC Milan which will expire in 2027.

The report suggests the reigning Serie A champions are keen to tie the nine-cap Portugal international down to fresh terms amid interest from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

It is understood that Chelsea also held club-to-club negotiations with AC Milan in August as they attempted to make a breakthrough in their pursuit of Leao.

The winger was high on the Blues’ list of targets throughout the transfer window and has been coveted by the club’s hierarchy.

However, Leao’s current employers were unwilling to sanction his San Siro departure unless the £127million release clause written into his contract was met.

Jones believes Chelsea could be boosted in their attempts to land Leao if he puts pen-to-paper and signs a new AC Milan contract.

The transfer insider understands Jorge Mendes, the 23-year-old’s agent, is looking to remove the big-money release clause from a potential fresh deal and that may open the door for negotiations at a lower fee in the future.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “They could really do with him signing a new contract and getting rid of the clause that currently exists in his deal. That’s something that his agent is trying to work on right now.

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