London, Nov 19: Chelsea veteran Gary Cahill has emerged as a surprise transfer target of injury-depleted AC Milan in January. Milan have already lost Giacomo Bonaventura for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury while Lucas Biglia is out for a few more months with a calf injury and, centre backs Mattia Caldara and Mateo Musacchio out until early 2019.

But, their situation worsens furthermore massively when their best player and defender Alessio Romagnoli sustained an injury which now set make him sit on the sidelines for at least a month.

Milan now only have one proper option in the centre-half with 32-year-old Cristian Zapata, who’s never been able to hold down the starting job in his seven seasons at the San Siro and crisis coming all around, the Italian team is now said to be looking for short-term and cheap alternatives, which reportedly has zeroed them down to Cahill.

AC Milan will reportedly look to sign Gary Cahill in the January transfer window as they aim to ease their injury woes at the back (Corriere dello Sport)

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The England international has just featured six times for the Blues in all competitions under Sarri so far this season, with just one of those coming in the Premier League as he made a 21-minute cameo away at West Ham. He has fallen behind Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz in the pecking order.

But instead of warming the bench, the 32-year-old English international has reportedly asked the club to let him go in January and with only six months remaining on his contract on the goodwill, Chelsea are now also believed to be keen to let him go either on loan or permanently. With such situation, Milan reckon they can get a bargain by sweeping for him in January and could make a move for the defender at the start of the January window.

But amidst of all these, the defender, however, could still stay put until the end of this season in an order to taste another European glory with Europa league victory as the defender recently suggested he yearns to win the trophy another time.

Cahill joined the West London outfit from Bolton Wanderers for £7 million in January 2012 and since then has been regarded as one of the best defenders of this decade for the Blues. He has gone on to make 285 appearances across all competitions at Stamford Bridge, winning six major trophies with the club, including two Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League triumph as well.