The Premier League started positively for Chelsea after a very busy transfer market that managed to end with a surplus after having invested more than €300 million.

The sales made by the club left them very well-positioned financially after many seasons of bad business and money thrown in the trash because the returns were not good enough. Winning the FIFA Club World Cup gave the club some breathing room as they aim for more.

And although the transfer market ended just over a week ago, Enzo Maresca and company do not want to give any advantages and are already thinking about what will be the next transfer periods. The Italian generated a major overhaul in his squad with the signings that arrived, but he is still missing a very important piece that he was never able to replace.

Chelsea suffered last season due to the reactions of Robert Sánchez in goal, whose gestures toward Enzo Fernández in a match against Manchester City affected him. The Spaniard managed to recover and ended up being important for the Blues to win the Club World Cup against PSG. But Maresca is still looking for a goalkeeper and is going for Mike Maignan.

The Frenchman was pursued by the English team in this latest market, but the negotiations did not come to fruition. AC Milan were asking for around €30 million to part with the goalkeeper, something Chelsea were not willing to pay. In fact, they are planning a move that will benefit them greatly.

Mike Maignan has a contract with AC Milan until June 2026, and there is still no renewal in sight. From January, he can negotiate as a free agent and sign a pre-contract with another team. That is what Chelsea plan to do, as they want to tempt the Frenchman to wear the jersey at Stamford Bridge.

After the departure of Edouard Mendy in July 2023, Chelsea FC were unable to replace him. The Senegalese goalkeeper left for Saudi Arabia to play for Al Ahli after having been key in winning the Champions League against Manchester City in 2021.

Robert Sánchez arrived with high expectations to replace him from Brighton, but his repeated errors have not entirely satisfied the fans or the technical staff. Mike Maignan knows what it is to be a champion with AC Milan after winning Serie A in the 21/22 season, which ended an 11-year drought for the club.