Chelsea midfielder summons final push to complete exit with £13m agreement now ‘very close’

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is on the verge of leaving Chelsea to join Serie A side AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.

Milan have been chasing Loftus-Cheek for a long time as they aim to replenish their midfield, which is about to be deprived of the Newcastle-bound Sandro Tonali. Now, negotiations seem to be on the final straight.

According to Calciomercato, Loftus-Cheek is ‘very close’ to becoming a Milan player. The Chelsea academy graduate is said to have ‘long been pushing for a new adventure’.

Now, he seems destined to end up in Italy, despite some recent doubts that Milan would be able to get the deal over the line.

It certainly will be a new challenge, since the former Crystal Palace and Fulham loanee has spent his entire career to date in English football. Yet it will allow him to compete in the Champions League again after Chelsea failed to qualify for any European competition next season.

Per the report, his transfer to Milan is now expected to be arranged for a fee of €15m, which is just under £13m. It will bring an end to Loftus-Cheek’s 19-year association with Chelsea.

Because his contract is due to expire next year, it has become important for Chelsea to cash in on Loftus-Cheek while they can – especially because of their wider need to balance the books to satisfy Financial Fair Play regulations.

At the age of 27, then, Loftus-Cheek is ready to embark on a new adventure. By joining Milan, he will team up with another Chelsea academy graduate in the shape of Fikayo Tomori.

As a fellow England international, Loftus-Cheek will take up one of the two remaining non-EU player spots in the Milan squad.

He will benefit from the Growth Decree in Italy, which is a subsidised taxation mechanism to support the arrival of athletes who have not worked in the country for two years previous.

Milan keep looking at Chelsea for transfers

Interestingly, Milan have also been linked with fellow Chelsea players, Carney Chukwuemeka and Christian Pulisic. However, the latter is now being targeted by Lyon too.

Whatever the destinations, the Blues are under pressure to trim their squad size as soon as possible. They have already confirmed the exits of N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly, and have agreed to offload Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Edouard Mendy.

With Kante, Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek on the way out, their midfield will be undergoing a transformation. They already prepared by signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January for a club-record fee, though that was at the same time they offloaded Jorginho to Arsenal.

Therefore, as they add to their attack with Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, they might need to replenish their midfield further given the number of exits they have sanctioned.

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