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Ruben Loftus-Cheek ‘agrees to AC Milan move with his contract up at the end of next season’ as Chelsea haggle over the English midfielder’s price tag as they hold out for £21m
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek has agreed to a move to Italian giants AC Milan, according to reports.
The Chelsea midfielder could become one of the first casualties of the Mauricio Pochettino, as the Blues prepare to clear out their bloated squad.
Loftus-Cheek had been touted as one of a number of stars to be moved on this summer following the Argentine’s arrival.
Reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport claim that the English midfielder has given the green light over a move to the Serie A side.
The 27-year-old has just a year left on his contract, but the Blues are thought to be haggling over his price tag, keen to receive a sum of around £21million to part with the star.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has reportedly given the green light over a move to Italian side AC Milan
He could become the first of a number of players to leave Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino
Stefano Pioli’s side are thought to have made Loftus-Cheek their priority signing in midfield
Loftus-Cheek is thought to have become the Rossoneri’s priority signing in the centre of the park.
A long-term injury to regular stalwart Ismael Bennacer has left them thin on numbers in midfielder, with the Algerian believed to be out until close to the end of the year following a serious knee injury.
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Reports state that the entourage Loftus-Cheek – who has been capped 10 times by England – is in talks with both AC Milan and Chelsea over the player’s future.
Though the west London outfit are thought to be standing firm over their valuation of the midfielder, the Champions League semi-finalists’ initial bid is some way off that figure.
AC Milan have so far bid just £13m for the 27-year-old, as per reports, although they could increase that fee to around £17.2m, but are not keen on exceeding that mark for a player that will be available for free next summer.
Following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle on the final day of the season at Stamford Bridge, Loftus-Cheek appeared to wave farewell to the crowd, raising his arms towards the fans after the final whistle.
He would not be the first Chelsea star to make the move to the San Siro, with former team-mate Fikayo Tomori swapping blue for red-and-black as recently as 2021.
Loftus-Cheek appeared to wave farewell to Chelsea fans after the Blues’ final home game of the season against Newcastle
Milan hope he can have the same impact as his former Chelsea team-mate Fikayo Tomori
Despite loan spells at London rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace, the player has spent his entire career at Stamford Bridge, making over 100 Premier League appearances.
During his nine-year stay in west London so far, Loftus-Cheek has won two Premier League titles, a Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Europa League title.
Alongside Loftus-Cheek, as many as 14 more players could depart the club, including the likes of Mason Mount, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Conor Gallagher, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic.
In total, Pochettino’s side are hopeful of receiving some £280m for the squad cull, after their numbers stretched to more than 30 after Todd Boehly’s near-£600m splurge in two transfer windows.
