La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid are reportedly ready to shell out €120 million to sign Portuguese international Rafael Leao from AC Milan.
According to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Real Madrid will be ready to pay €120 million to secure the services of Rafael Leao in the summer transfer window. But AC Milan will demand around €150 million to part with the Portuguese international.
Rafael Leao joined AC Milan from Lille in August 2019 brimming with potential. But the 22-year-old initially struggled to perform consistently at San Siro, blowing hot and cold at an alarming rate. However, Stefano Pioli has transformed the player into a domineering wide attacker, and he has become AC Milan’s talisman.
Leao enjoyed a solid 2021/22 campaign, amassing 11 goals and ten assists in 34 Serie A outings while winning the MVP award after guiding the Rossoneri to the title. And the Portuguese international’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the most high profile clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid, setting their sights on him.
The interest from Real Madrid stems from their inability to bring Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu in a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The French international chose to stay put at Paris Saint-Germain, even though he had reached an agreement on personal terms with Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants have thus had to set their sights away from Mbappe, with Leao emerging as a viable alternative. While the Portuguese international primarily plays from the left flank, he can influence games from the right wing, making him an option worth considering for Real Madrid.
The Merengues are now ready to intensify their efforts to sign Leao, as they are ready to offer €120 million to AC Milan to secure his services. But the newly-crowned Serie A champions will not let Leao leave for anything less than €150 million, meaning he could be out of Real Madrid’s reach despite the money saved from not signing Mbappe.
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It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid can negotiate the price tag to an acceptable sum or if they remain firm on offering €120 million. But Real Madrid might not have any shortage of alternatives if the two teams reach an impasse.
I prefer Christopher nkuku at RB Leipzig to Rafael leao