Ipswich Town face a stiff battle for centre-forward Armando Broja from a European giant as the Chelsea man prepares to face Italy at EURO 2024 later today.
Broja is one of several players at Stamford Bridge to be called up for their countries ahead of the festival of international football which takes place over the next few weeks. The 22-year-old will likely start for the Albania national team, who qualified for the European Championship for just the second time in the nation’s history.
Sky Italia are reporting, via Inside Futbol, that 19-time Serie A winners AC Milan will send scouts to the Signal Iduna Park tonight in Germany to scout the Chelsea striker as Italy take on Albania in the opening round of group stage games. The outlet are claiming that the Rossoneri hierarchy want to keep closer tabs on Broja before deciding on whether or not to make a move for him this summer.
AC Milan are not the only club linked with Broja, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Premier League side Fulham, although his time at Craven Cottage was disastrous as he made merely eight appearances for the Cottagers, failing to score a single goal.
It was revealed by Simon Phillips last month that newly-promoted top-flight side Ipswich Town have added Broja to their list of potential signings this summer as head coach Kieran McKenna looks to add quality and Premier League experience to his forward line. The Daily Express later reported that Chelsea have slashed his price tag from £50 million to £30 million.
There is also rumoured interest from clubs such as Southampton, where Broja had a fruitful loan spell two seasons ago, and Everton, although AC Milan may be added to that list if their scouts are impressed by the frontman this evening.
Writer’s View
£30 million is an affordable price for Ipswich Town. The East Anglian side earned an unprecedented promotion to the Premier League this season which will see them pick up at least £150 million in TV revenue over the next 12 months, meaning the club have the money to pay for Broja.
While the Albanian has had a tough two seasons with Chelsea, he is still only 22 and has a lot of room for development. Given McKenna’s innate ability to improve players, the club may feel the Northern Irishman can get the best out of Broja, although AC Milan’s interest is certainly a worry given the financial power of the Italian giants.
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