Chelsea Pushes to Sign French Goalkeeper Maignan

Chelsea are in direct negotiations with AC Milan in an effort to strike a deal for Mike Maignan, the current France No. 1.

Milan have set their valuation near £25 million, although the Stamford Bridge club is aiming to reduce the asking price before any agreement is reached.

Maignan, who joined Milan from Lille in 2021 on a five-year contract, has been a key figure in the Rossoneri lineup. The 29-year-old claimed the starting spot for France following Hugo Lloris’s retirement from international football in January 2023. He now has 30 caps to his name, having made his debut in 2020.

According to sources briefed on the talks, Maignan would consider a switch to Chelsea.

The London club has faced recurring uncertainty in goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga, signed for a record £71 million in 2018, is still the most expensive goalkeeper in history but hasn’t cemented a regular place, spending the last two campaigns out on loan at Real Madrid and Bournemouth.

Edouard Mendy, brought in two years after Kepa, departed for Al-Ahli in 2023, adding to instability in that role.

Chelsea’s recent additions — Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, and Filip Jorgensen — have yet to fully convince the decision-makers at the club. Petrovic was loaned out to Strasbourg last season, while Sanchez and Jorgensen shared stints in the starting lineup.