Rafael Leao has confirmed that he would like to stay at AC Milan but admitted that there are still some details to be sorted regarding his renewal.
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The Portuguese winger ended up being decisive in the quarter-final tie against Napoli as he provided the assist for Ismael Bennacer in the first leg win while an incredible solo run last night saw him provide for Olivier Giroud to get what would be the winning goal in the tie.
The former Lille man set off on a run from his own half and ended up taking the ball beyond three Napoli defenders, outpacing Rrahmani to the byline and cutting the ball back to Giroud who made no mistake.
Leao spoke to Sky at the end of the game to talk through his emotions after achieving something special, with his comments relayed by MilanNews. He was first of all asked about his solo run for the goal, which was similar to Ruud Gullit’s many years ago at the Maradona when he provided for Marco Van Basten.
“Amazing. Doing something similar to a player who made history with the Milan shirt… I am very happy with the work done by my team, we did an incredible job. We thank our fans, this victory gives us confidence to keep dreaming and aiming forward in the Champions League,” he said.
But is it really possible to go further in your opinion?
“Now there are two semi-finals before the final. That will be our ‘first final’, and we are going to play it with a lot of enthusiasm.”
What is it like working with Pioli and Maldini?
“Pioli is the person who made me the player I am today. He was patient, he took my hand like a son. I have to thank him and also the directors Massara and Maldini who made me the player I am today. I’m at home here in Milan and I’m very happy to be here.”
What is the latest on your renewal?
“I’m very happy to be here. As I said before, Milan is my home. I still have a year on my contract, we’re talking…”
Do you want to stay?
“Yes (laughs). But there are other things to fix. 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.”
