AC Milan still retain hope that they can renew the contract of Rafael Leao and the Champions League revenues could help them, a report claims.
According to a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanNews), contacts between the parties are continuous and the will is still there to reach an agreement as soon as possible, but for the moment an agreement between Milan and Leao over the forward’s contract renewal has not yet been found.
However, the hope is that qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League – which will bring over €20m to the accounts – could be a boost that unlocks the situation.
In the last meeting between his entourage and Paolo Maldini, Leao made his request: a salary of €7.5m net per season for the next five years, a signing bonus of another €2m, individual and team bonuses plus some help in the fine owed to Sporting CP.
It is obviously a sizeable request that Milan could satisfy thanks to the revenue from the Champions League. On the other hand, as Maldini himself who explained it a few days ago: “Does the Champions League take increase Rafa’s chances of signing? More money means more availability…”
If Milan were to reach the semi-finals an extra €12.5m in UEFA prize money would arrive, to which sponsorship, the market pool and above all ticket revenues must be added. In short, the further Milan go on in Europe, the more the chances of convincing Leao to renew could increase.
