Chelsea target Rafael Leao has had his head turned by the Blues' interest, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.
The AC Milan and Portugal forward has been heavily linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge, and it appears that he is open to a move there.
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Chelsea transfer news - Rafael Leao
Phillips recently told GMS that Chelsea would push again in January to sign Leao.
The west London club wanted to bring the 23-year-old to England during the summer, with The Times claiming that they held talks about a potential deal.
In the end, though, they were unable to land him. The next transfer window or the one after that, however, could be a different story.
According to Calciomercato, Leao could now be available for €80m (around £69m) as his contract talks with Milan continue to drag on.
What has Simon Phillips said about Rafael Leao and Chelsea?
Phillips says Chelsea have been given encouragement in their pursuit of Leao.
Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: "He has had his head turned by Chelsea interest, so that's what has given Chelsea the prompt to try and get that done. But Chelsea obviously aren't the only club that are keen on signing him."
Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know
How many goals does Rafael Leao have in his career?
In 166 games for Milan, Lille and Sporting Lisbon, Leao has scored 44 times, according to Transfermarkt.
The above shows that the Portugal international is not quite the most prolific forward yet. At 23 years of age, though, he obviously has time to develop into a better goalscorer.
The area where Leao really excels in is dribbling. As per WhoScored, he is completing 1.7 dribbles per league game this season, which is the highest average in Stefano Pioli's squad.
For Portugal during the World Cup, Leao also made 1.2 dribbles a match, which was again the highest average among his team-mates (also via WhoScored).
“I’ve been really impressed with Rafael Leao whenever I’ve watched Milan games. He’s a top player," Chelsea manager Graham Potter was quoted as saying by talkSPORT back in October.
“In terms of what happens in the future, who knows whether he can do this in the Premier League or not. He’s got the capability, for sure.”
Ultimately, then, Leao could be a great attacking addition to Chelsea's squad. The former Lille and Sporting man is quite clearly a threatening forward with a lot of potential.
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