Report: AC Milan rejects Chelsea's £30M bid for Romagnoli
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Chelsea has once again hit a dead end on what's becoming a frustrating search for a high-profile defender.
AC Milan turned down a £30-million bid from the Blues on Monday for 21-year-old Alessio Romagnoli, according to Sky Sport Italia, a player the Rossoneri consider unsellable in this transfer window.
Antonio Conte's side has pursued Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly vigorously through the offseason, and there was a suggestion last week that Chelsea could potentially break its transfer record to acquire the Senegalese centre-back.
But the Telegraph's Matt Law indicated earlier Monday that Chelsea has no intention to raise its current £40-million offer for Koulibaly, with Romagnoli and Torino's Nikola Maksimovic also in the club's sights.
An initial push for the Under-21 Italy international Romagnoli, however, was promptly rebuffed. To make matters worse, reports in Italy believe Koulibaly may also extend his contract with Napoli.
Conte's options are now running thin. He's not expected to have the injured Kurt Zouma back before the end of the year, leaving Gary Cahill, John Terry, and Matt Miazga as the only other senior centre-backs.
"If one defender is injured or banned, then we are in trouble, but the club and me, we know this, and we are talking every day to improve the squad," Conte told reporters after last weekend's 2-1 win over Watford.
After switching Roma for Milan in a €25-million (£21-million) deal last summer, Romagnoli has emerged as one of the most promising central defenders on the peninsula. He made 34 appearances for the San Siro outfit during the 2015-16 campaign, and started Milan's first match of the new season Sunday against Torino.
A player who likes to push up and launch attacks from the back, Romagnoli is still a work in progress.
Milan, though, has clearly identified him as a long-term replacement for Alessandro Nesta.