"He can change the rhythm of the game" - Rio Ferdinand heaps praises on 'special' €100m Chelsea transfer target

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has praised Chelsea target Rafael Leao following his performance in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. The Rossoneri claimed the spoils in the first leg of their last 16 UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday (February 14) night.

Leao's display against Tottenham was impressive, as he was a constant threat going forward. He one key pass and completed eight of ten dribble attempts. Emerson Royal and Christian Romero had a difficult night dealing with the Portuguese attacker.

Ferdinand was full of admiration for Leao following his outing against Spurs. He reckons the former LOSC Lille forward is a special player who can change the rhythm of a game. He told BT Sport:

"I think what’s great about him is that he can change the rhythm of the game."

He continued by touching on the Portuguese's pace and variation in his playing style:

"The game was played at his pace; he can run about and then walk with the ball. If you can do that at the highest level, that tells me that there is something special there."

Ferdinand hinted that the likes of Chelsea should be taking a look at Leao:

"I think he’s got enough there for teams to say ‘you know that I would like that at my disposal’. He’s doing that in a struggling team this year as well."

The Blues have been linked with a move for Leao and were said to be keeping tabs on him last summer. They have spent over £600 million in the last two transfer windows.

Reports claim that AC Milan are willing to listen to offers of around €100 million for the 23-year-old, who has bagged nine goals and as many assists in 30 games across competitions this season. Chelsea and Manchester City are interested as well.

Graham Potter's side are expected to start offloading first-team members to balance the books. Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic have all been touted as potential departees.

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Chelsea 'protecting' Kalidou Koulibaly despite regression since arrival

Koulibaly has endured a difficult start to life at Chelsea.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has told Caught Offside that the west Londoners are protecting Koulibaly amid his poor form. He also said that Inter Milan were never in the fray to sign him in January:

“Kalidou Koulibaly is not the same player we saw at Napoli for many years;ehe was incredible in Serie A, and he’s still adapting to the Premier League. I’m told Chelsea still want to protect him, and he was never close to Inter or any other club in January. Let’s see in the summer.”

Koulibaly moved to Chelsea last summer from Napoli for €38 million and was viewed as Antonio Rudiger's replacement. The German defender joined Real Madrid as a free agent.

The former Napoli captain has an enticing resume, making 317 appearances for the Serie A side, winning the Italian Cup once. However, Koulibaly has faltered with the Blues. His adaption to Premier League football has been a struggle. He has featured 20 times across competitions, helping the side keep seven clean sheets.