London, June 10, 2025- Chelsea Maignan pursuit have officially pulled out of discussions to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. This happened after failing to close a key €4 million (£3.4m) valuation gap before the registration for the Club World Cup deadline tonight. The stalemate leaves the future of the Frenchman in limbo. Moreover, it underlines Chelsea´s unwillingness to pay what sources term a “Club World Cup tax”.
Maignan is keen to join Chelsea and made it clear to Milan that he will leave for free in 2026. However, the two clubs simply could not agree on a fee. Milan wanted €25m (£21m) for their 29-year-old captain. The club pointed to the keeper’s ties to last season’s Serie A and Ligue 1 title-winning side, and his selection in the Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament. The last offer from Chelsea for Maignan pursuit was £18m(€21m) on Monday evening, after initially only valuing the player as €10-15m (£8.5-12.7m). This deal also was in vain. Milan would not budge on valuations.
🚨 EXCL: Mike Maignan deal now OFF between Chelsea and AC Milan. ❌🇫🇷
Chelsea not willing to meet Milan price, deal not proceeding in time for Club World Cup as #CFC won’t pay “CWC tax”.#CFC mantain full trust in Petrović, Sánchez, Jorgensen + talent Mike Penders for GK role. pic.twitter.com/VP4scFzbiI
Chelsea’s indecision was partly based on the length of Maignan’s contract left to run-one year- and partly by precedent. The club pointed to the sale of Christian Pulisic to Milan in the summer of 2023, for €20 million in very similar circumstances. But with the caveat that Pulisic was younger and his position does play a higher monetary value role. Secondly, Chelsea refused to fall into making a forced decision around the Club World Cup deadline of registration by 7 pm BST today, to qualify for the group stages from June 15.
Maignan had expressed to Milan that he was “desperate” to go to Stamford Bridge. Moreover, he had told officials he was not going to extend his contract with the club. Both his passion to leave contrasted significantly with Chelsea’s passion to sign him. However, once the two clubs reached an impasse, they pivoted quickly. One source stated: I mean, Chelsea “have full faith” in Robert Sánchez, Filip Jorgensen, Djordje Petrović, and 19-year-old Mike Penders in goal. Sánchez ended the 2024/25 season very strongly. This led to their Champions League qualification, and Chelsea seems confident in their options.
🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Mike Maignan to Chelsea is OFF!
The Premier League side are not willing to meet AC Milan’s demands and are in no rush to make a signing before the Club World Cup.
(Source: @FabrizioRomano) pic.twitter.com/ltMRFzv3tt
The deal has been put on hold. But the possibility of it going dead doesn’t have to be done at all. A secondary registration opportunity for the Club World Cup (June 27 to July 3) to register a different squad prior to the knockout rounds, should Chelsea progress. The full transfer window will open on June 16, so talks can resume then. For now, Chelsea’s interest in Maignan has shifted to other targets. The key players includes Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, presumably as today they submitted a £42 million bid.
For Milan, the downside of this destabilization is that they could well lose Maignan for nothing in 2026. Renewing Maignan’s contract is possible if their relationship as a club is safe after the player forced a move away from the club.
Chelsea’s solution, disciplined in its methodology follows a wider trend. It involves turning down a deal or overpaying for the sake of gaining success in the short term. Even if it is for a world-class player such as Maignan. When the Club World Cup happens their faith in the respective targets such as Sánchez and now also Penders, is a test they can implement quickly enough. Maignan however will likely add another chapter to his eventual saga once the window re-opens next week.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on:
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
