Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has reportedly given his blessing for AC Milan to open discussions over the signing of Armando Broja.
The Albanian striker spent last season on loan with Premier League rivals Southampton.
He scored six goals in 32 league matches for the Saints before returning to west London for 2022-23.
Broja has played 11 times for Chelsea this term but Wednesday’s draw at Brentford is the only time he has been named in the starting XI.
The 21-year-old is expected to get a fair chance under Graham Potter, however, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz currently being picked ahead of him.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding Broja’s future at Stamford Bridge over the course of the summer.
He was heavily linked with a move to Everton, West Ham and Southampton.
Chelsea were believed to be keen on Toffees winger Anthony Gordon, meaning there were rumours of a player-plus-cash deal involving Broja, or potentially Conor Gallagher.
After the Blues reportedly rejected multiple bids worth around £30million for Broja, it is surprising to see him continue to be linked with a transfer.
The young striker also penned a new six-year contract in September.
Interest comes from abroad this time, with Calciomercato reporting that Serie A holders AC Milan are interested.
The report states that Chelsea boss Potter is ‘not ruling out’ Broja’s departure.
His £30m price tag will have surely increased given his fresh terms which last until 2028.
A new No. 9 is one of the priorities for Milan, with Broja fitting manager Stefano Pioli’s ideal profile.
Broja would provide ‘attacking depth’, which Pioli ‘loves’, as well as ‘technical’ ability and ‘power’ up front.
The player’s entourage have held discussions with the Italian champions in recent weeks, it is said.
As mentioned prior, Broja made his first start of the season against Brentford on Wednesday.
Potter said after the game that he did “okay”.
“We saw two or three actions in the first half of what he’s about.
“Brentford press high and Armando… we thought we could use him.
“I thought he did okay for his first game. Because it was his first game we thought [playing] 60 minutes was enough.”
Broja’s game time should pick up, but he will have to take his chances.
Thankfully for him, Romelu Lukaku is out on loan at Inter Milan, meaning there is one less striker to worry about at Stamford Bridge.
There have been murmurs coming out of Italy that Inter are looking to terminate Lukaku’s loan in January.
However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that this is absolutely not the case.
Writing on Twitter, Romano said: “Rumours on Romelu Lukaku loan deal to be terminated in January are 100% wide of mark.
“He will complete the season with Inter — now back after muscle injury.
“Inter & Chelsea already held verbal talks last June about a potential 2nd season on loan, to be decided in 2023.”
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