Chelsea may live to regret £43m transfer snub as eyes light up at Man City

Chelsea could be set to miss out on the final piece of the puzzle by not challenging their Premier League rivals for Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Blues have splashed the cash on a host of new signings over the past few months, but they may be squandering the chance to address one of their biggest concerns.

Chelsea's Club World Cup success will breed confidence at Stamford Bridge next season, as well as injecting an impressive amount of talent into their ranks, with the likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap already bedded into their squad.

Further reinforcements are on the way in the final third as well, with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons both being pursued. However, there is still a lingering question surrounding Chelsea's options between the sticks and whether Robert Sanchez is capable of playing for a title-contending outfit.

The Spaniard showed glimpses of real quality last season to justify the show of faith from Enzo Maresca, but the ex-Brighton star remains prone to sloppy errors and still looks uneasy with the ball at his feet.

Thus, Chelsea's decision not to pursue Donnarumma despite his availability could be the difference between the club challenging on all fronts and going trophy-less. The Italian goalkeeper has been frozen out of the Paris Saint-Germain side by Luis Enrique and publicly declared that he expects to be on the move before the transfer window closes.

Manchester City are alert to the situation and weighing up a move for the former AC Milan star to replace Ederson, but reports have already suggested that Chelsea have ruled themselves out of the race to sign the 26-year-old.

Having already made an unsuccessful push to sign Mike Maignan ahead of the Club World Cup, there are clear signs that the Blues are willing to pounce upon a market opportunity to sign a new No. 1 - and Donnarumma's availability is exactly that.

Maresca's faith in Sanchez has been admirable since his arrival, but if his side are to make an impact on the title race then he may need the higher powers at Stamford Bridge to swallow their pride and meet PSG's £43million asking price for Donnarumma before he strengthens a direct rival. If not, it would be no surprise if come the end of next season, the main topic of conversation for Chelsea is why didn't they move for the PSG outcast rather than lauding his contribution.