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0 AC Milan are in talks with Chelsea over the signing of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Loftus-Cheek has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge but has the option to extend that by a further year.
The 27-year-old appeared to say goodbye to the fans when he was substituted during Chelsea’s final day 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Sunday.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Newcastle
Earlier this month, Sky Italy reported Milan’s interest, with the Rossoneri thought to be “cautiously optimistic” of getting a deal done for the England international.
Loftus-Cheek has made 155 appearances for Chelsea since making his debut in 2014, and has won the Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup during his time at the club.
Mauricio Pochettino: Chelsea appoint ex-Tottenham boss as head coach
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Frank Lampard says that the collective standards that he would expect at Chelsea weren’t there when he first took on the caretaker role at Chelsea
The news comes after Chelsea confirmed former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino would take up their vacant manager’s position from July 1 on Monday.
The 51-year-old Argentine, who has signed a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge with the option of another year, returns to the Premier League following previous spells in charge of Spurs and Southampton, succeeding Graham Potter, who was dismissed at the start of April after less than seven months in charge.
Frank Lampard, who led Chelsea on a caretaker basis until the end of the season following Potter’s sacking, has left the club.
Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino will form part of Pochettino’s coaching staff at Stamford Bridge.
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Speaking on Monday Night Football in 2020, new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino explained his footballing philosophy and the importance of happy players
Move makes sense – but neither party can afford failure
Sky Sports’ Joe Shread:
“While Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt be excited to return to the Premier League and Chelsea will be delighted to have secured a manager of his pedigree, there is a lot riding on the Argentine’s appointment – for both parties.
“Unusually for a manager whose previous Premier League stint ended with him being sacked by Tottenham nearly four years ago, Pochettino’s stock remains high in the top flight, with Spurs’ regression since his exit helping to explain why.
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Melissa Reddy believes Mauricio Pochettino would be a successful appointment for Chelsea, insisting that the Blues needs purpose and direction after a shaky season
“But while the 51-year-old is rightly praised for the work he did at Spurs, culminating in their first Champions League final in 2019, he ultimately failed to bring any long-awaited silverware to north London during his five-year spell in charge – the kind of record that won’t be tolerated at Chelsea.
“Pochettino did end his personal trophy drought at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the French Cup in 2021 and Ligue 1 a year later, but he was also sacked by the French giants and has been out of work since last summer.
“That’s a long time for an elite coach to be away from the day-to-day of club management, while the fact that Unai Emery was still at Arsenal and Frank Lampard had only just begun his first spell in charge of Chelsea at the point of Pochettino’s Spurs exit shows how long he has been away from the Premier League.
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Mason Mount took time to walk around an empty Stamford Bridge after Chelsea’s final game of the season – was he saying goodbye to the Bridge?
“The pressure on Pochettino is clear – but it weighs even heavier on the shoulders of his new employers. Since their takeover last summer, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have overseen one of the most chaotic and unsuccessful seasons in Chelsea’s recent history.
“After seeing their decision to sack Champions League-winning head coach Thomas Tuchel and replace him with Graham Potter spectacularly backfire, the owners need Pochettino – who will be the fifth person to take charge of a Chelsea match in less than 12 months – to justify their faith.”
