Huge blow for Arsenal as Portugal star drops another Chelsea transfer hint

Portugal and AC Milan winger Rafael Leao has fuelled speculation about a possible move to Chelsea.

The 23 year old winger has impressed at both club and international level, and is naturally being linked with a number of top sides.

However, it has been suggested that two in particular, Chelsea and Arsenal, have been battling for his signature.

Yet, Leao’s actions on social media have implied that he may be flirting more with a move to Stamford Bridge than the Emirates.

Is Reece James the key to Leao joining Chelsea?

Speculation about Rafael Leao signing for Chelsea has increased following a friendly Twitter interaction with Blues Right Back Reece James.

James had been fielding questions from fans, with one of them being “Hardest player you’ve faced in your career?”

James responded with: “3 hardest players I’ve ever played against are all left wingers! Vinicius Jr, Leao and Mane!”

In the replies, eagle-eyed fans noticed an interesting response from Leao himself, saying “My bro” followed by a handshake emoji. Leao’s tweet has received nearly 40,000 likes.

Leao and James faced each other in the group stages of the Champions League this season, with James’s Chelsea winning 3-0 at Stamford Bridge before a Chelsea 2-0 away win in Milan.

A TikTok hint?

Leao also increased rumours about a potential move to Chelsea through his TikTok account.

Leao follows Chelsea’s official TikTok account, and only follows 51 accounts in total, leading to the suggestion that the highly-rated winger could be interested in a move to Chelsea.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter could look to reassess his attacking options in January. As a forward, Leao would compete with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz, who have all struggled to find consistent form since their moves to South West London.