Chelsea Prepare Summer Move for AC Milan Star - Report

Chelsea are preparing a move for AC Milan striker M'Baye Niang, according to the Express. The 18-year-old has one goal in 15 appearances for the Italian club in all competitions this season and the majority of those appearances have come from the bench.

Nevertheless, he is highly regarded by the Italian club's staff and is contracted to the San Siro outfit until 2018, which means that any bid for his services will have to be substantial.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their forward line. The form of ex-Liverpool forward Fernando Torres has been poor, at best, and Roman Abramovich's patience, it is understood, is finally running out. The Russian billionaire spent nearly £50m to bring the Spanish international to west London but has yet to see any significant return on his investment.

Niang, who joined Milan from French club Caen, was the subject of interest from the Blues' Premier League rivals Arsenal and Everton, both of whom had the youngster on trial in the summer. The youngster later also revealed that the Gunners had, in fact, approached him over a contract but he turned them down in order to join Milan.

"Arsenal wanted me, but when Milan showed up I had no doubts. Can I become the best in the world? I can make it. A club like Milan is the ideal place to grow because of the many champions you can learn from. Serie A is a tough league, physically and tactically," ESPN quoted the forward as saying.

Unfortunately for him, he may find playing time with the Serie A side hard to come by in the immediate future, particularly with the arrival of Italy international Mario Balotelli, the presence of another senior international in Giampaolo Pazzini and the in-form and in-demand Stephan El Shaarawy.

Cech Eyes FA Cup Progress

Meanwhile, Chelsea stopper Petr Cech has now set his eyes on winning the FA Cup tie against Manchester United on Sunday. The Czech believes a win against the Premier League leaders will be the best way to forget their 1-0 Europa League against Steaua Bucharest.

"United are the favourites for the game but it's the FA Cup and in the FA Cup not every time do the favourites win. We have big players in our dressing room who are at their best in the big games. We have to show it again," Goal.Com quoted Cech as saying.

"The best way for us to forget about the defeat [against Steaua] is to get into another game. There will not be much time for us to prepare but hopefully we'll have a good performance on Sunday. The games are coming thick and fast but we are used to that," he added.