There continues to be a lot of attention surrounding Rafael Leao as his impressive start to the season continues, according to a report.
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Calciomercato.com report that Chelsea remain interested in signing Leao but the list of potential suitors has grown to include Paris Saint-Germain – after the explosion of the Kylian Mbappé case – as well as Manchester City.
Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara held their ground last August in the face of repeated attempts from the Premier League by pointing to the €150m release clause in the Portuguese winger’s deal, but as the contract deadline of June 2024 approaches the dynamic changes.
Jorge Mendes knows this and is likely to make a point of discussing the clause during his next meeting with the management, one that Zvone Boban pushed to insert having seen his potential when he arrived from Lille back in 2019.
The will of Maldini and Massara is quite clear: to make an economic effort to give Leao a pay rise to make him one of the highest paid players in the squad, if not the highest. Through bonuses efforts will be made to meet the €7m net per season demands.
Mendes is likely to ask for €20-30m to be knocked off the release clause, therefore making it €120-130m, which he believes is a market valuation more responsive to reality. However, Milan know that this opens them up a bit more to the prospect of losing the crown jewel in their project.
