Exclusive: Shaun Wright-Phillips discusses Chelsea’s transfer policy
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea will reportedly meet with AC Milan representatives over the coming days to discuss possible moves for Benoit Badiashile and Malang Sarr. Senior Rossoneri figures are expected to jet into London for a series of meetings to resolve their centre-back shortage, and a sit-down with Arsenal is also on the agenda.
Pierre Kalulu, Marco Pellegrino and Simon Kjaer have each been struck down by injury at the San Siro, with AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli caught short in his bid to keep pace with rivals Inter at the top of Serie A.
According to Calciomercato, Badiashile and Sarr – valued at a combined £40million by Transfermarkt – have both emerged as options for the Italian giants. But a mid-season agreement appears to be off the cards, with Milan intent on holding off until the end of the season.
Badiashile only arrived at Stamford Bridge in January this year, and the 22-year-old has acquitted himself well since signing from Monaco in a £35m deal.
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Injury woes have seen him miss the last two months of competitive action, and it would surely take a significant bid for Chelsea to consider cutting ties so early into his west London stint.
The same can’t be said for Sarr, who has not made a single first-team appearance all campaign. In fact, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino appeared to forget who he was when asked for an update on the centre-back’s future earlier this year.
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Chelsea would surely jump at the chance to offload Sarr at the next possible opportunity and remove his salary from the wage bill. It remains to be seen whether the forthcoming meeting precedes concrete action in January, or whether Milan stick to their original plan of waiting until the summer.
Also believed to be of interest to Pioli and co is Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior. Like Badiashile, the 23-year-old’s Premier League career only started at the turn of the year, but minutes have been hard to come by under Mikel Arteta.
In Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and William Saliba, the Gunners already have three high-quality centre-backs vying for action. Kiwior has been limited to only two Premier League starts this term as a result.
Milan have been touted to try their luck negotiating a loan agreement for the Polish international, who arrived at the Emirates Stadium in a £20million deal from Spezia.
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