Milan target Loftus-Cheek but wages pose a problem

RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK will be forced to take a pay cut to facilitate a potential move from Chelsea to AC Milan this summer.

Chelsea are willing to offload the midfielder (below), but his £150,000-a-week wages represent a stumbling block for clubs interested in signing the 27-year-old.

Champions League semi-finalists Milan hope to convince Loftus-Cheek to join fellow Chelsea academy graduate Fikayo Tomori at the San Siro, but he remains reluctant to leave his boyhood club and, despite having only one year left on his contract, would need to be forced out by the incoming manager. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to become the next Chelsea head coach and he will help guide a summer clear-out of players.

With Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher all facing uncertain futures, Chelsea have drawn up a list of potential midfield targets, which includes Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte. West Ham captain Declan Rice, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia have also been identified as possible signings.

Several home-grown Chelsea players face uncertain futures, and Loftus-Cheek is a player the owners would like to leave. He rejected a move in January, when he was made available in the last two days of the transfer window.

The sale of academy graduates will help Chelsea ensure they continue to stay in line with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.

Mateo Kovacic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly will also be made available.

Chelsea have identified a striker, a midfielder and a goalkeeper as their transfer priorities this summer, but those plans could change once Pochettino is appointed. Inter Milan’s Andre Onana, Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel and Brentford’s David Raya feature on the goalkeeping shortlist.