According to reports, Chelsea is considering a move to bring Mike Maignan from AC Milan to the Premier League.
Mike Maignan: Who is he?
Despite not being Stefano Pioli’s official number one goalkeeper, Maignan is the manager’s current first-choice after making 22 Serie A starts last season when he wasn’t out with a calf injury. Maignan moved to the San Siro Stadium from Lille back in 2021.
The Blues are reportedly interested in the 27-year-old and had inquired about his availability during talks to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek, according to a 90min report from earlier this month. Despite this quickly being squashed, Mauricio Pochettino has since received a huge boost.
The France international’s contract in Italy still has three years left to run, but it is alleged that he has refused to negotiate an improved deal, leading some to speculate that he may want to leave this transfer window. His alleged refusal to do so has once again alerted management at Stamford Bridge to the possibility that he may want to leave this window.
Chelsea acquiring Maignan?
Prior to the 2023–24 season, Chelsea is “considering” a move for Maignan, according to The Telegraph (via CaughtOffside). With Kepa Arrizabalaga as his starting custodian, Pochettino was reportedly “content” to start the new season. However, the shot-stopper “impressed” while playing for AC Milan, and it appears that the manager is interested in bringing him in to expand his options in goal.
Chelsea will be aware that they must search the market for a suitable replacement for Edouard Mendy as he nears a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli. Maignan, who has a career-high €45m Transfermarkt valuation, could be a replacement for the Senegalese as well as a serious challenger to Kepa.
Jacek Kulig, a talent scout, called the 6’3″ “giant” who played in 22 Serie A matches last season eight clean sheets and 40 saves out of 62 shots on goal, giving him a save percentage of 69.4%, higher than Mendy’s 64.1%.
The 2022/23 Champions League participant, who earns £59k per week, also has a strong passing range, completing 354 of 360 medium passes and 133 of 134 short passes, according to FBRef. This indicates that he has an eye for finding his outfield players with the ball, and Todd Boehly may look to take advantage of this in the near future to bring him to SW6.
