Serie A: Ruben Loftus-Cheek leaves Chelsea after 19 years to join AC Milan
AC Milan have signed 27-year-old English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea on a four-year contract.
The two clubs did not disclose the fee involved but it has been reported that Milan will pay £15m plus add-ons.
Loftus-Cheek joined Chelsea at the age of eight and enjoyed a superb youth career with the London club before making his senior debut in the 2014/15 season.
Chelsea said in a statement;
“After 19 years as a Chelsea player, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has left the club and completed a permanent transfer to AC Milan.
“A dedicated professional and a friendly and popular person throughout Cobham (training ground), Loftus-Cheek departs having made 155 appearances – in which 13 goals were scored – and with Premier League, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup winner’s medals.”
27-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be joining fellow England international and Chelsea Academy graduate Fikayo Tomori at AC Milan. He will replace Italy’s Sandro Tonali, who is set to move to Newcastle for around 80 million euros as Milan take a new direction without Paolo Maldini.
The English footballer has now joined a long list of players who have left Chelsea this summer as the West London club looks to balance the books after a huge outlay last season.
German striker Kai Havertz has moved to Arsenal, while Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been signed by Manchester City.
Defender Kalidou Koulibaly, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and midfielder N’Golo Kante have moved to Saudi Arabia.
Another Chelsea youth product, Mason Mount is also set to leave this summer for a big-money move to Manchester United.
This is coming after the English club finished 12th in the Premier League last season, their lowest finish in nearly three decades. With the recent sales made, Chelsea has now raked in almost £140m in transfer fees this summer.
