Paris Saint-Germain are likely to “challenge” Chelsea for the signature of AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, according to Calciomercato.com.

The Portuguese international was pursued by the Blues during the summer transfer window but Milan’s refusal to sell the player for below his €150m (£131m) release clause stopped a deal from going ahead.

Even so, Leao has less than two years remaining on his contract and, if the Serie A champions can’t agree a new deal, they would be forced to sell the player either in January or at the end of the season.

That could lead to a battle for the 23-year-old’s services and Calciomercato claim PSG may make a move for the forward who they believe could be “Messi’s heir”.

At the moment, it is believed that Leao is only in the Ligue One club’s “notebook” of options to replace the Argentinian legend but they could formalise their interest sooner rather than later, which could also force Chelsea’s hand.