Paolo Maldini fell in love with £15m player after watching him play for Chelsea in the Champions League

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea sold Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan in the last transfer window.

Milan also signed Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud from Chelsea, showing that they enjoy doing a bit of shopping in west London.

And according to Calciomercato, Paolo Maldini fell in love with one of those signings, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, after his performance for Chelsea against Milan last season.

The same outlet claims that the total package to bring the 28-year-old to the San Siro last summer was worth around €18m (£15m) in total.

Loftus-Cheek has been worth every penny for Milan this term. He has made 18 appearances in Serie A and scored five goals, which is quite a decent return for a midfielder.

Paolo Maldini loves Ruben Loftus-Cheek

When he is at it, Loftus-Cheek is a very good midfielder, one who can carry the ball and be impossible to stop at times.

According to WhoScored, the England international is making 3.3 dribbles per game in the Champions League this season. Only Rafael Leao (3.6) is averaging more in Milan’s squad.

It makes sense, then, that Maldini really appreciates him. Still, Chelsea did not always get to see the above because Loftus-Cheek struggled to stay fit a lot of the time.

So while the Milan star certainly is a good footballer doing well right now, Chelsea will probably not have too many regrets about letting him go.

In the end, joining the Italian giants was a great move for Loftus-Cheek. It was a fresh start for him and he is now thriving there.

It is a shame that Loftus-Cheek never really got to fulfil his full potential at Chelsea — injuries prevented that — but at least he looks to be enjoying his football again. As for his former club, they have obviously moved on as well after making major investments in midfield.