Chelsea & Bayer Leverkusen enter race to sign €40m Ardon Jashari as AC Milan refuse to improve bid despite agreement with Club Brugge midfielder

Milan's adamant stance not to go overboard in spending and slow progress on finalising a deal for Jashari has alerted other clubs about the uncertainty surrounding the Swiss midfielder. According to Calciomercato, Chelsea and Leverkusen have shown interest in the 22-year-old and have personally contacted the player to learn about his stance on moving to any club other than Milan. Brugge have set a price tag of €40m (£34m/$45m) on the Belgian Pro League Player of the Year.

Jashari has been loyal to the Milan camp and has always given them priority, even knocking back an approach from Inter. The Belgian club are yet to respond to Milan's improved €33.5m (£29m/$38m) plus €4.5m in bonuses deal and have also been previously asked to up their bid by Brugge CEO Bob Madou. As he pushes for his preferred move to San Siro, Jashari was left out of the squad for their recent Super Cup clash and opening league game of the season.

Milan sporting director Igli Tare is confident of getting Jashari but wants the Brugge camp to respond this week; otherwise, they might pull the plug on the deal. With new entrants in the race to sign the youngster, it is inevitable that if Milan do not make proper efforts, the player could be tempted to switch to a different club.

Club captain Hans Vanaken also expressed that even though he understands the youngster's plight, Milan will have to pay the asking price for the Swiss star. The Jupiler League club have also not included Jashari in the official squad photo and are set to drop him for his third consecutive fixture against Mechelen.