Three contenders to be the next Chelsea goalkeeper, proven star nearly agreed deadline-day deal
Chelsea remain in the hunt for Mike Maignan as he runs down his contract at AC Milan.
Former Man United and chief scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider during the summer that Enzo Maresca desperately wanted a new goalkeeper with the Frenchman one of the frontrunners.
Sources told Football Insider that Chelsea are prepared to bid for Maignan in the January transfer window, even though they could agree a pre-contract deal ahead of next summer when he leaves on a free.
However, Bayern Munich are preparing to move in for Maignan as they weigh up whether to extend Manuel Neuer’s contract before the end of the season.
If Vincent Kompany succeeds in tempting the AC Milan shot stopper to the Bundesliga, the Blues will need to quickly find a new goalkeeper target to appease the current underwhelming duo of Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen.
Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez continues to be pursued by Man United despite signing Senne Lammens on transfer deadline day.
The Red Devils are clearly not satisfied with the goalkeeping department, yet the arrival of the Belgian could in fact give the Blues an advantage to sign the World Cup winner.
Aston Villa are under financial constraints and need to sell their biggest stars to balance their books, with the 33-year-old one of the players who could make way.
Martinez is a proven Premier League shot-stopper who would transition smoothly into the Chelsea side, highlighting that the club should strongly consider hijacking the pursuit of United, whose attempts to sign the Villa star collapsed on deadline day.
Illan Meslier
Once the pride and joy of Leeds United, the Frenchman has failed to start a competitive match since the 29 March 2025.
Illan Meslier has been completely axed from Daniel Farke’s plans with the Peacocks intent on offloading him before his contract expires next summer.
Whilst not in the best of form, the 25-year-old does hit the requirements of Chelsea’s youth first transfer strategy.
Moreover, if the Blues were to sign the ex-Lorient keeper as a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, it would be a transfer with low financial risk but potentially very high upside.
He may be brought in not as a first-choice option initially, but the number 16 would push Sanchez and Jorgensen to improve their performances on the pitch, likely leading to a better keeper output for Maresca.
Yann Sommer
Although the Switzerland international would arrive at Stamford Bridge as comfortably the oldest player in the squad at 36-years-old, the Blues would be acquiring one of Europe’s finest.
The former Bayern Munich brick wall has been sensational for Inter Milan, notching over 20 clean sheets per season in his two completed campaigns in Italy.
Yann Sommer will be out of contract next summer and was reportedly disappointed not to have been offered a new deal by the Nerazzurri.
| Yann Sommer Inter Milan all competitions | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| Appearances | 43 | 49 |
| Minutes played | 3,900 | 4,440 |
| Clean sheets | 25 | 21 |
| Goals conceded | 0.53 | 51 |
| Goals conceded per game | 1.87 | 1.04 |
That unrest could see him march out of the San Siro a free man and Todd Boehly and co. would be stupid to stubbornly follow their youth recruitment model to miss out on signing one of the best in the keeping game.
The Swiss could be an ideal temporary solution to plug the gap at the back for a couple of seasons whilst Chelsea identify their long-term target.