Chelsea handed rare transfer window blow as key target has decided to stay at current club

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Chelsea’s summer transfer window has gone pretty much according to plan so far, however they are set to miss out on one of their big targets.

The Blues completed the signing of Liam Delap as soon as the window opened, after activating his relegation release clause and winning the battle of a number of top clubs.

What followed was some patience from Chelsea, who were keen not to be hit with any ‘Club World Cup’ tax upon their participation in the competition.

The Blues are currently in the semi-finals of the competition, and a big reason behind their success in the previous round of the tournament was the promising debut off the bench of Joao Pedro.

Mike Maignan to stay at AC Milan despite interest from Chelsea

A signing many have been hoping the club would make is between the sticks. Chelsea fans have called for the addition of Mike Maignan to replace Robert Sanchez in goal.

The Blues were strongly linked with Maignan before the first transfer deadline, however did not complete the deal in the final possible hours.

With new AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri at the helm, any chance the Blues had of signing the goalkeeper seems to now be out of the question.

The Italian told SempreMilan that he is delighted Maignan has decided to stay with the Serie A club, and will captain the side when the new season gets underway.

He said: “I saw him this morning, I’m very happy that he made this choice to stay. He’s the captain of the team, an international player, one of the best in the world. Well done to the club that convinced him to stay. I’m sure Leao will have a great season.”

Chelsea’s current goalkeeper situation

Sanchez has established himself over the last 12 months as the first choice goalkeeper, with this remaining the case during the Club World Cup.

However, reports have claimed that Enzo Maresca has lost confidence in the Spaniard, and would like a replacement in his ranks.

There may have been a chance for Djordje Petrovic to stake his claim as the new shot stopper following an excellent campaign on loan at Strasbourg.

However, he was not selected for the tournament in the United States, and now Petrovic has his choice of clubs as he is set to depart this summer.