Major blow for Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City as £120m forward casts doubt on Premier League switch
Electric AC Milan winger Rafael Leao has suggested that he has no desire to leave the San Siro this summer, amid interest from a host of Premier League clubs.
Indeed, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are all admirers of the 23-year-old, who has been in fantastic form recently.
AC Milan will no doubt be pleased to see Leao commit his future to them, especially after helping them qualify for the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.
The Portuguese international was the star of the show as the Rossoneri defeated Serie A leaders Napoli 2-1 on aggregate (1-1 on the night) in the quarter-finals.
In the 43rd minute, Leao picked up the ball 20 yards inside his own half, before dribbling past four Napoli players at incredible speed before reaching the opposition’s penalty area and finding Olivier Giroud, who finished the chance from six yards out.
With a performance like that, it’s no surprise to see five Premier League giants all interested in the winger’s signature.
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Leao: ‘Milan is my home’
Leao’s current contract at Milan is set to expire in June 2024, which has led to speculation that the Serie A club could be forced into selling him this summer.
However, the attacker has now insisted that he wants to stay at the San Siro for the foreseeable future.
In his post-match interview, Leao said: “I am very happy to be here. As I said before, Milan is my home.
“I still have one year left on my contract, we are talking… Do I want to stay? Yes (laughs). But there are other things to settle.
“The most important thing is that we are in the semi-finals, we are having a great season and I am happy to be here and continue to help my team.”
Indeed, after a shaky start to the season, Milan now sit in fourth place in the Serie A table and are on track to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Of course, they are also in with a great chance of winning the competition, too, with Leao and co set to face Benfica or (more likely) Inter Milan in the semi-final.
Now that he has committed his future to Milan, Arsenal, who were believed to be the most interested in Leao, will have to look elsewhere for a blockbuster summer signing.
In fairness, given Leao has a valuation of £120m, the Gunners may be better off using those funds to strengthen other areas.
