Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Neves
AC Milan directors Marco Fassone and Massimiliano Mirabelli reportedly visited Chelsea to open talks about Cesc Fabregas on Saturday, while the Blues are said to be preparing an offer for FC Porto youngster Ruben Neves worth £24 million plus a player with add-ons.
According to Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia), the Chinese investment firm set to complete a financial takeover of Milan have already appointed their new CEO and director of sport, and the pair wasted no time making contact with the Blues to discuss a transfer of Fabregas.
The Spanish star has been linked with the Rossoneri almost daily for the last few weeks, forcing even manager Vincenzo Montella to respond to the rumours.
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The Italian told Il Corriere della Sera (h/t AS) he's currently looking for a player with the characteristics of the injured Riccardo Montolivo, which Fabregas does not, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill from churning.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has relegated the former Barcelona man to a spot on the bench, as he believes Fabregas lacks the trait to be a force in his two-man central midfield. Goal's Nizaar Kinsella agrees:
That doesn't mean Fabregas' days of being a top player are over, however. He's still a phenomenal playmaker and passer who can be deadly as the main conductor behind the striker, providing he has enough support from the physical midfielders around him.
Conte doesn't seem willing to change his system to allow him to thrive in such a role, and, as a result, a transfer seems ever more likely.
Similar to city rivals Inter Milan, the Rossoneri are expected to make several big splashes in the transfer market once their takeover goes through, underlining their ambitions to return to the glory days of old.
Fabregas would be the kind of big-name player that attracts attention, even if he's no longer the world-class midfield option he was during his time at Arsenal and Barcelona.
Milan's takeover is far from a sure thing, however―as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell), plenty of questions have been asked regarding the Sino-Europe Sports group's ability to find the necessary backing to complete the deal, to the point the group's executive director felt the need to defend himself:
"All the investors are confirmed and everything is perfectly on the right track.
The funds are arriving as foreseen. The names of the investors will be made known officially when the deal is complete, according to the terms of our agreement.
[…] Once the deal is complete, we will do everything to improve the club
"
On top of that, club legend Paolo Maldini openly questioned the new project and rejected the chance to work with the Rossoneri, dampening the enthusiasm of the fans even further, per FourFourTwo's Nemanja Grbic:
It's far too soon to be talking about transfer plans until the move is actually completed, and even then, one has to wonder whether Fabregas would want to join a rebuilding project at this stage of his career.
Meanwhile, Tom Hopkinson of the Daily Mirror reported Chelsea are joining the race for Porto starlet Neves, but they want to know whether or not he'll move to Stamford Bridge in January by the first week of November.
The Portugal international has long been touted as one of the nation's top talents, and while he has seen his role in the team reduced since Nuno Espirito Santo became manager, his long-term potential is still tantalising.
Here's a look at some of his highlights:
The Blues are said to be willing to offer £24 million, along with a player and add-ons, although that might not be nearly enough to convince the Dragons. Porto are notoriously difficult to negotiate with, and the homegrown Neves is very popular with the fans.
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