‘Still there’: Chelsea now ready to ‘pay big’ for 23-year-old attacker who Antonio Conte wants at Tottenham – journalist

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Journalist Simon Phillips claims Chelsea are now ready to ‘pay big’ for AC Milan’s Rafael Leao – a player who Antonio Conte wants Tottenham Hotspur to sign.

Spurs added Richarlison to their ranks over the summer and the former Toffees forward has got off to a decent start to his career in north London.

But Conte still seems to be one player short in terms of his attacking options and injuries to Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son highlighted this before the World Cup.

Calciomercato.it reported back in October that Tottenham are one of the many sides interested in signing Leao.

Leao has been putting in some eye-catching displays for Milan over the past two seasons. The 23-year-old has already netted seven times and provided nine assists in just 20 appearances for Stefano Pioli’s men this season.

He was knocked out of the World Cup with Portugal yesterday but despite being used as a substitute throughout the tournament, he scored two goals in five appearances.

Now, Tottenham have seemingly been handed a blow in their pursuit of the Milan attacker as their London rivals are ready to table a huge offer for the Portuguese star. 

Chelsea ready to pay big for Leao

Leao’s contract with Milan is set to run until the summer of 2024 and clubs are closely monitoring his situation in Italy.

Phillips claims Chelsea are ready to pay big money for both Leao and RB Leipizg’s Christopher Nkunku.

“[Paolo] Maldini is pushing hard to try and get him to extend at Milan. They’re pretty confident that he will extend, but Chelsea are still there waiting in the background to see what the situation is going to be there,” Phillips told GiveMeSport.

“We’ve let his people know that we’re ready to pay big to buy him in the summer, so he’s definitely an attacking target for Chelsea, as well as Nkunku.”

Leao’s stock seems to be high and it’s no surprise that the likes of Chelsea are willing to spend big on him.

The Milan attacker has really impressed for Pioli’s side and looked a real bright spark in Qatar for Portugal.

Spurs will face a tough task in going head-to-head with Chelsea for his signature, but it could depend on where the teams end up finishing in the league this season.

If Tottenham secure a place in the top four once again and Chelsea miss out, north London could be a more attractive option for the player.