Report: Chelsea's £10m move for ‘young Gigi Buffon’ goes quiet as other priorities take over
Reports suggest Chelsea have gone cold on signing Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire this summer.
According to the Evening Standard, the list of priorities in the market as well as the switch-up at board level has seen the potential £10m move go quiet.
Chelsea had shown interest in the 18-year-old for a while, being one of a number of elite clubs intrigued by the prospect of the next big thing between the sticks.
Slonina has 29 senior matches under his belt already, with Chelsea originally planning to loan him straight back out in a similar fashion to how they did with Thibaut Courtois over a decade ago.
The American has already drawn comparisons to some of the best goalkeepers ever seen, with former US international Tony Meola describing him as a ‘young Gigi Buffon’.
Chelsea go cold on Gabriel Slonina
However, the Evening Standard have claimed that the departures of key figures on the board, including former goalkeeper Petr Cech have seen the priorities slide elsewhere.
Real Madrid were the biggest rivals to Chelsea in completing the deal, and now may be willing to step in with the Blues seemingly forgetting about one of the most promising teenagers on the planet.
The club appear to have set their sights on completing a deal for Raheem Sterling first, with the winger heavily touted to move to Stamford Bridge this summer after falling out of favour at Manchester City.
The Premier League champions are also being targeted for defender Nathan Ake, with Chelsea wanting to set up a reunion with the star they sold in 2017.
With Antonio Rudiger’s departure, the left-hand-side of Chelsea’s back three has been left with a massive void, and the versatile Dutchman, who has also featured at left-back, could be the answer to their problems as they look to rebuild their defence.
