Potter could boldly ditch Mudryk in Chelsea swoop for £132m magician who’s “like Mbappe” – opinion
Several teams in Europe, including Chelsea, are keen on acquiring the services of AC Milan’s Rafael Leao in the upcoming transfer window.
If the talented winger does join Chelsea, it could lead to Graham Potter deciding to let go of Mykhailo Mudryk, who was signed in January but failed to impress.
Could Chelsea make a swoop for Rafael Leao?
Chelsea have been linked with the former Lille striker for a while, and it’s been reported that they made an offer of €70m (£62m) for him during the World Cup in Qatar. However, if Chelsea want to sign the 23-year-old this summer, they may have to pay his release clause of €150m (£132m).
The Portugal international has had an impressive season, scoring eight goals and providing six assists in just 25 Serie A appearances. He has also earned an impressive average rating of 7.07 from WhoScored.
Leao’s performances in the Champions League have also caught attention, having contributed one goal and two assists to help AC Milan progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face Napoli next month.
To provide some context, the player who has performed the best in Potter’s squad this season, among those who have made at least ten Premier League appearances, is Reece James. He also has an impressive average rating of 7.07 from WhoScored. This highlights the level of quality that Leao could bring to Stamford Bridge, especially in the attacking areas where Chelsea have faced difficulties.
Recently, former England manager Fabio Capello praised the speedy winger on Sky Sports, comparing him to PSG’s superstar Kylian Mbappe.
He said, via OneFootball: “Another important thing: he worries the opponents. He is one of the few players in Europe today who goes off easily in one-on-one situations. In terms of speed and quickness, he is like Mbappé.”
Todd Boehly should not hesitate to spend whatever it takes for Chelsea to acquire the talented young French footballer who is widely considered as one of the best in the world, especially after his impressive performance in Qatar where he won the golden boot and scored a hat-trick in the final. Rejecting such a player would be unwise for Chelsea.
If Chelsea were to sign the left-winger, it could potentially reduce the playing time of their fellow young player Mudryk.
Mudryk has been struggling since joining the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window for a hefty fee of £88.5m, along with a long-term contract of eight and a half years.
So far, he has failed to score any goals and only provided one assist in his seven appearances for the team. His performances in the Premier League have been consistently poor, with an average rating of 6.26 from WhoScored.
It would be a harsh decision by coach Potter to drop the Ukrainian youngster so soon after his arrival at Stamford Bridge. However, given his price tag, he needed to have a significant impact on the team immediately, which he has failed to do so far.
On the other hand, Leao has been consistently performing well in Italy’s top-flight league and could be a significant improvement over Mudryk if Boehly manages to sign the Portuguese forward from San Siro this summer.
Potter could boldly ditch Mudryk in Chelsea swoop for £132m magician who’s “like Mbappe” – opinion
