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Chelsea have begun their signings in the ongoing summer transfer window as the Blues aim to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2022-23 football season.
The west London side have secured a move for English winger Raheem Sterling from Manchester City. The transfer fee was around £45 million plus add-ons, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea were also keen on signing Brazilian winger Raphinha as seen in Goal. However, they eventually missed out on the winger to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Both Serge Gnabry and Rafael Leao have now emerged as possible options for the Blues to sign after missing out on Raphinha, as seen in The Guardian.
The two wingers will add a lot of value to Tuchel's team. On the other hand, it will be difficult to make a decision on who suits the Blues better.
However, taking a couple of factors into consideration, Gnabry could be a better option for the Blues. As such, this article will take a look at why Chelsea should prioritize signing the German over Leao.
#3. Experience
One factor that could play a key role in deciding who Chelsea should go for between either Gnabry or Leao is experience.
Both players are good in their own right and have proven to be highly technical and versatile. However, Gnabry is a more experienced player than Leao of AC Milan.
The German is currently 27-years-old and is three years older than Portuguese winger Leao, who is 23.
Gnabry has also achieved more as a player at club level so far. The Bayern Munich winger has scored a combined total of 86 first-team goals as against 37 for Leao.
#2. Asking price
Another crucial factor as to why Gnabry could be a much better option for Chelsea than Leao in the transfer window is their clubs' asking prices.
Both Bayern Munich and AC Milan seem to have set transfer fees for both players. However, considering the current highly-inflated transfer window, Gnabry will be a cheaper buy.
The 27-year-old is highly-rated at his parent club Bayern Munich. He is also currently valued at around €65 million, as seen on Transfermarket.
For Portuguese winger Leao, his contract with AC Milan will expire in the summer of 2023. Despite that, he has a staggering release clause of £127 million, according to Football London.
Comparing the cost of both players, Gnabry will be a much cheaper option. He would also save Chelsea more money to invest in other key areas of the team.
#1. League experience
Signing a player who will easily adapt to the intense nature of the Premier League could be a major factor for the Blues.
Going by this factor, Gnabry of Bayern Munich could be a decent option for Chelsea rather than Leao as he has experience in the league.
Recall that the 27-year-old winger played for Arsenal between 2012-16. Gnabry scored one goal for the Gunners' first-team, while registering 16 goals combined for both the U21 and U19 side.
During his time in England with the North London club, Gnabry also had a brief loan spell with West Bromwich Albion. He made a combined total of six appearances for the club's first-team and U23 team.
The German connection at Stamford Bridge could help ease Gnabry into the Blues team, thus making his signing more ideal than Leao. His German teammates in Timo Werner and Kai Havertz could also be key.
