Chelsea told to pay at least €60 million to stand a chance of signing 24-year-old Frenchman - Reports 

Chelsea are keen on AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez but have to meet an exorbitant price before finalizing a deal, according to reports.

The Rossoneri are demanding €60 million for the Frenchman, who's already on the radar of many top clubs around Europe and thereby has no shortage of suitors.

The Blues won't have Ben Chilwell for the remainder of the season after the English star sustained a knee injury for which he now must undergo surgery. It will be a huge loss for Thomas Tuchel's side as Chilwell had been on fire this season, scoring thrice and assisting once in six league games.

A replacement has already been identified, with Hernandez emerging as a potential target, but the massive asking price could be a stumbling block.

Chelsea were also told that Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara, Milan's technical director and sporting director respectively, won't come to the negotiating table unless the price is met.

The 24-year-old has developed into a world-class prospect since joining Milan from Real Madrid in 2019 for a fee of €20 million. The San Siro outfit are looking to extend his contract until 2026.

A deal has not been struck on their end either, but there is hope that an agreement will be reached soon. Should that happen, it would deal Chelsea a serious blow.

Milan are currently on a winter break and will resume their league duties on January 6, 2022 with a home game against Jose Mourinho's AS Roma.

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Chelsea must seek cheaper options instead of Hernandez

While Hernandez is among the best left-backs in Europe and most clubs would go to great lengths for his services, Chelsea must seek cheaper alternatives.

Since the club is only looking for a temporary solution, it wouldn't make sense to splurge €60 million on a player only to see him and Chilwell both compete for a first-team place later.

Chelsea already have Marcos Alonso, but he doesn't provide as much attacking threat as Chilwell, although defensively, the Spaniard is no slouch.

But Tuchel's style of play requires the full-backs to be heavily involved going forward, and unless Alonso can provide that, Chelsea will have no choice but to look for alternatives.