Chelsea ready to launch bid for “elite” star

Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign took a disastrous turn when the Blues faced off against Flamengo in Philadelphia.

It was looking all rosy for Enzo Maresca’s side after Pedro Neto opened the scoring, but a second successive win for the West Londoners in the competition ended up falling out of their grasp in horrible fashion.

Nicolas Jackson’s second-half dismissal was the beginning of Chelsea’s downfall, leading to Filipe Luis’ Flamengo taking home a surprise 3-1 victory.

This loss would have angered Chelsea fans, knowing full well that the Blues are looking to upgrade on Jackson soon in the chaotic summer transfer market, as seen in their ongoing pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt gem Hugo Ekitike.

How to Watch the FIFA Club World Cup for Free

Everything you need to know about the Club World Cup.

Chelsea ready to launch bid to solve problem position

Jackson could well find he’s out of the door soon, as the Blues’ patience begins to wear very thin. Yet, the shock defeat to Flamengo would have also made Chelsea aware that they need to seal an upgrade in the goalkeeper department too.

As per a new report by TEAMTalk, Chelsea are ready to go all in for a new goalkeeper very soon to replace the inconsistent Robert Sanchez.

It’s stated that the Blues have not cooled off regarding their interest in AC Milan shot-stopper Mike Maignan, with a second bid now being prepared for when the Club World Cup finishes.

A bid around the £20m mark, which includes add-ons, could well seal the deal here, with Chelsea in dire need of a new, reliable ‘keeper, particularly if reserve stopper Djordje Petrovic bids farewell to Stamford Bridge for good this summer.

Why signing Maignan should be a bigger priority than Ekitike

Whilst Jackson does currently find himself in the bad books at Chelsea after his red card incident, he has at least managed to show off his class in flashes when bagging 30 Blues strikes and counting.

Whereas, Sanchez is becoming more and more known for his error-strewn performances in West London with the capture of Maignan perhaps a more pressing matter than landing Ekitike.

After all, whilst Ekitike appears to be the flavour of the month with the Blues, Liverpool and Manchester United all sniffing around, the blistering Frenchman has flopped before when a big move has been put in front of him.

Indeed, the 23-year-old only netted three goals on the books of Paris St. Germain after a breakout Stade De Reims spell. Therefore, similar pressures could get to him again after a 22-goal season leading the line for Frankfurt, especially if a reported £60m price tag comes to fruition.

On the contrary, the much-talked-about Maignan is a seasoned professional now at the highest level, as seen in his glistening resume of 343 appearances and counting for both Milan and Lille in some tough, challenging divisions.

Therefore, the “elite” keeper – as he was once labelled by Liverpool’s number one Alisson – should be able to arrive at Stamford Bridge and succeed, with plenty of clean sheets often following him wherever he goes.

Maignan’s record at Milan & Lille
Season	Games	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
24/25	53	59	14
23/24	42	52	12
22/23	29	27	10
21/22	39	32	19
20/21	48	38	23
19/20	34	41	12
18/19	38	33	15
17/18	34	53	5
16/17	12	14	4
15/16	4	3	1
Stats by Sofascore

In total, Maignan is now up to 115 clean sheets for both the Ligue 1 club and his current Serie A employers, with last season seeing him collect 14 of those. To add context, the error-stricken Sanchez lagged behind on ten, with five saves still not enough to keep Flamengo at bay last time out.

At around £20m or so, Chelsea really must prioritise adding the Frenchman to their camp soon over progressing with the far more expensive Ekitike deal, with Maignan having a way smoother June to date too, keeping a clean sheet for his nation against Germany in the Nations League.

The fact of the matter is that Maresca has plenty of attackers at his disposal. Regardless of Jackson’s ill-discipline, they will find a way to score goals. The acquisition of a new gloveman, however, could be the difference between winning titles.