Chelsea, Man City target offered to Real Madrid with consequence to leave third Prem side distraught too

A potential transfer between two European giants who are champions of their respective leagues could frustrate three Premier League sides in one go.
The saga initially revolves around AC Milan attacker, Rafael Leao. The Portuguese forward won the accolade of being the best player in Serie A last season as his side won the league. However, his future with Milan is uncertain due to his contract expiring in 2024.
With no sign of an extension yet, Leao has been linked with clubs in the Premier League, such as Chelsea and Manchester City.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, though, a third contender for Leao’s signature could be Real Madrid. Indeed, agent Jorge Mendes has offered him to the reigning La Liga champions.
A move to Spain would give Leao the chance to impress in a fourth different country after his previous spells in Portugal with Sporting, France with Lille, and Italy with Milan.
Whether Real Madrid are tempted to make a move is another matter. After all, they can already count upon Vinicius Junior in Leao’s preferred position on the left wing.
Therefore, the report admits Real Madrid would not want to make a big bid for Leao. Perhaps he could be tempting still if the price is right, though.
Chelsea and Man City may yet have a chance of offering him a different new challenge in the Premier League. Both are financially strong clubs who might be able to compete with major offers.
That said, Chelsea have invested in players of similar roles to Leao over the past couple of transfer windows. They will need to find the right balance in terms of strengthening their squad any further.
There remains a chance Leao could snub all of them to extend his stay at Milan. It may be the 23-year-old’s ideal solution, although there is clearly plenty of work to do from his club’s perspective in order to make it a reality.
As long as Leao is at risk of leaving, Milan will have to weigh up their options in the transfer market to replace him.
Newcastle star could replace Rafael Leao
In that regard, one contender for a transfer to the Rossoneri could come from a different Premier League club – Newcastle. Indeed, reports that Allan Saint-Maximin may be of interest to Milan are not going away.
Newcastle have been enjoying a season of rapid progress, but Saint-Maximin hasn’t been one of their key players. Injury issues were holding him back earlier in the campaign.
Under contract with Newcastle until 2026, Saint-Maximin doesn’t urgently need to look for a new club. But according to Tuttomercatoweb, he is “certainly” of interest to Milan.
For now, he is just one of a few options on their shortlist of potential Leao replacements. Another contender could be Club Brugge winger, Noa Lang.
But until Leao’s future is sorted one way or another, Newcastle might be wary of losing one of their most exciting attackers.
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