I wanted to move to Chelsea for £25m this summer – now I could finally get my wish in 2026

Chelsea had quite a few problems to solve in the summer transfer window, and few of their fans would argue that every issue was addressed adequately – in fact, Enzo Maresca would likely agree that they weren’t, given his comments on the need for a new centre-back.

One of the major question marks which still lingers over Maresca’s squad is whether Robert Sánchez is really a good enough goalkeeper. The raw stats suggest that he is – his 76.4% save percentage was the best in the Premier League in 2024/25 – but the mistakes keep piling up, with the Spaniard’s fourth-minute red card against Manchester United the latest to infuriate the fans.

It wouldn’t, therefore, be any great surprise if Chelsea did decide to look elsewhere in 2026 as they work to build a squad capable of challenging for the title – and a new report now suggests that they could hone in on a familiar target…

Will Chelsea make a second attempt to sign Mike Maignan in 2026?

Over the course of the summer, Chelsea did in fact attempt to replace Sánchez – but negotiations with AC Milan over the potential signing of Mike Maignan ultimately fell flat after the Italian outfit refused to budge on their £25m asking price.

Maignan had, supposedly, told Milan that he wanted to leave, with Ben Jacobs among the reporters claiming that the Frenchman had “made it clear” to his current employers that he wanted a change of scenery. Still, no deal was forthcoming as Milan played hardball over their summer transfer business.

Given that Maignan is already 30 and was coming off the back of two relatively modest seasons in a row – the goalkeeper has yet to quite recapture the stunning form he showed off during Milan’s Scudetto-winning season in 2021/22 – Chelsea’s reluctance to pay top dollar made perfect sense. Still, the interest may remain.

Maignan is now entering the final year of his contract at the San Siro, too, which means that Chelsea (and other clubs) will be able to negotiate with him over a free transfer from January. If Sánchez’s struggles persist, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Blues back on the phone with Maignan’s representatives.

The Daily Express now even report that Chelsea could push to get a permanent deal done in January, preempting any potential competition. That seems somewhat unlikely on paper, given that Milan would have to find a replacement mid-season, but it’s possible that the Serie A side feel financially pressured to strike a deal if Maignan refuses to sign a new contract.

AC Milan hoping to tie Maignan down – but the player may still want out

Tying Maignan down to a new deal is near the top of Milan’s priorities for the Autumn, according to some stories in the Italian press, despite the fact that they were negotiating his sale to Chelsea just a few short weeks ago – but they may not get their wish.

Fabrizio Romano reported during those negotiations that “Chelsea believe [Maignan] will not sign a new deal at Milan” and the Frenchman seems to have set his heart on a move away. He also knows that if he leaves on a free transfer, he will very likely get a significant pay increase and a hefty signing-on fee, as tends to be the case with free transfers.

In short, a player who already wanted to move to Chelsea has every incentive to hang on and make that happen – at least, as long as they indicate that they will be back in the bidding come next summer.

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Maresca has, thus far, publicly backed Sánchez. There was no criticism of the goalkeeper after his mistake against Manchester United and he has gone to the hilt for the Spaniard in the past. After one howler against Wolves in January, for instance, his response to worries about Sánchez’s form was to ask “how many times has he saved us?” and to say that he was “doing well.”

There are quite a few Chelsea supporters who would disagree with that assessment, however, and there is every chance that Maresca decides to look for a change at the back should those slips and stumbles persist – and should Filip Jörgensen fail to make the position his own when given his chances.

Maignan may not be the only player they look at, but he is a player that we know Chelsea are interested in, and who we know will likely be keen to move to Stamford Bridge – and if Maignan can recapture the form that made him look like one of the very best in the world a few years ago, then it might be a deal which finally reassures the fans in the stands.