AC Milan beat competition from two of their Serie A rivals to sign Rafael Leao from Lille this summer, a report claims.
The Portugal U21 international joined the Rossoneri earlier in the month, becoming the club’s third signing of the summer.
Leao revealed his delight to have sealed a move to the San Siro upon his arrival, while reports have claimed that Milan’s coaching staff were left surprised by his first few training sessions.
It is not yet known whether the former Sporting CP starlet will be thrust straight into Serie A action by starting against Udinese on Sunday but one thing is for sure: he will play a key role for Milan this season.
And if reports from Calciomercato.com are to be believed, Paolo Maldini and the rest of the management pulled off an impressive coup given the challengers involved.
They report that Leao has ‘amazed’ everyone at Milanello, with Boban and Maldini ‘convinced’ that they have given Marco Giampaolo a player with elite potential.
Both Napoli and Roma were apparently keen on the 20-year-old, but Milan moved quickly with a €28million offer and – crucially – the exchange of Tiago Djalo going the other way.
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