Chelsea reportedly agree deal to sign star midfielder
What’s the story?
Chelsea have agreed terms with Bayern Munich to sign Renato Sanches according to A Bola (via Fichajes). The 19-year-old midfielder will be joining the Blues on a season long loan according to the Portuguese newspaper.
The report claims that Renato Sanches will be heading to London for his medical today. The Bayern Munich star will be officially announced by the clubs by the end of the day or tomorrow as per the report.
In case you didn’t know...
Bayern Munich are not interested in keeping Sanches at the Allianz Arena this season and are looking to send him out. The German club was keen on selling him but his performance against Chelsea in the pre-season match prompted them to give him another chance at the club.
He was signed for a fee that could rise to €80 million by Bayern after his impressive performance at EURO 2016. However, he never managed to live up to the expectations and is now being benched by the Portugal U21 squad as well!
The heart of the matter
Antonio Conte was highly impressed by Sanches and enquired about him to Carlo Ancelotti after the game.The managers started off the initial talks and then the clubs began the negotiations.
Chelsea want to take him on a permanent deal but are ready to sign him on loan with an option to buy as well. The Blues' see him as the ideal partner to Tiemoue Bakayoko and N'Golo Kante in the midfield.
Bayern Munich are only keen on loaning him out and are not interested in selling him anymore. The German club were demanding £42 million initially for his signature but his performance in pre-season changed turned around.
AC Milan were the front runners for Sanches when he was first put up on the transfer sheet by Bayern. The Serie A side, who have already signed around 10 players, were keen on taking him on a 2-year loan with an option to buy.
The talks of loan came after they were quoted a price of £42 million for the 19-year-old. The Rossoneri refused to meet the asking price and began to negotiate a loan.
What’s next?
If the report is true, Sanches would be officially a Chelsea player by tomorrow should he pass the medical. A Bola are quite reliable for the news surrounding the Portuguese players and were the first to break the Ronaldo story.
Author’s Take
Renato Sanches is one of the best young midfielders in the world right now. He's just 19-years-old and people are wrong to judge him based on one season's performance. He could have been a bigger star right now had he stayed at Benfica as he never managed to get a proper chance at Bayern.