“Not an advanced negotiation” – Fabrizio Romano speaks on Chelsea’s Rafael Leao pursuit | OneFootball

News came out last night regarding Chelsea’s attempts to sign AC Milan forward Rafael Leao.

A few sources started to speak on it, but there was one main source who did not – Fabrizio Romano.

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As we know, Romano is the most reliable transfer source out there and often you know that a deal or story might not be happening until Romano speaks on it. Well, he has since spoken on it, via his own Substack page.

And it is perhaps not the news that Chelsea fans would really like to hear, because he really does throw some shade over it happening unfortunately, largely due to the large release clause he has hanging over him and Milan’s reluctance to sell.

So, what has Romano said?

“Chelsea have had an interest in Rafael Leao for over a year, alongside PSG and other top clubs… but it is not an advanced negotiation,” Romano said.

“AC Milan have always declared Leao as key part of the project, there’s a €150m release clause included into his current contract.”

So it all sounds like a bit of a pipe dream for Chelsea, even though he is exactly the kind of player that they need to lead their attack right now. Never say never though!