A Chelsea forward has allegedly been identified by AC Milan as an alternative to Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.
Earlier this month, it was widely claimed that Rashford's brother and agent had made the trip to Italy to hold discussions with the Serie A giants.
That came at a time when interest was starting to increase in the England international, who has been kept on the sidelines by United head coach Ruben Amorim for more than a month.
However, a transfer to San Siro is yet to come to fruition, it remaining unclear where Milan feature on Rashford's list of potential destinations when Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have also been heavily linked.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan officials are contemplating whether to end their interest in the 27-year-old and move onto other targets.
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Felix on Milan radar?
The report suggests that Joao Felix has been identified as an alternative as the Portuguese continues to struggle for game time at Stamford Bridge.
Since returning to Chelsea on a permanent basis, Felix has been restricted to nine starts and 10 substitute outings in all competitions, scoring seven goals.
Nevertheless, just three starts have been made in the Premier League and, like in the case of Christopher Nkunku, it has led to speculation regarding his short-term future.
Chelsea are allegedly open to parting ways with Felix in some capacity, most likely on a loan deal given that they shelled out £46.3m in the summer.
Milan are not in a position to pay that fee at the midway point of the campaign, yet it is suggested that they would like to have the option of a permanent transfer in the summer.
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How will Chelsea react?
With just two matches to be played during the remainder of the month, Chelsea do not have to be in any rush to make decisions regarding some of their squad players.
Enzo Maresca is likely to want to retain the services of Felix, aware that he has a key role to play in bids to win the FA Cup and Conference League.
Felix also made a point of expressing his delight at returning to life in London during the summer, making it difficult for Milan to convince him to depart in the short term.
Unless Milan present a proposal that is too tempting to reject, Felix appears highly likely to stay put at Chelsea, particularly when Milan are not competing for the Serie A title.
Darren Plant
