AC Milan are expecting to receive two offers for Rafael Leao during the January transfer window that could be nine figures, according to a report.
TMW report that the game against Red Bull Salzburg could well end up being Leao’s last for Milan in the Champions League because interested clubs are gathering ahead of the January transfer window and if huge offers arrive and a renewal has not been found 18 months from the end of his contract, the Rossoneri will sell.
Leao is simply too valuable a player for Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara to risk leaving on a free as Donnarumma, Calhanoglu and Kessie did. At the same time, Milan are pursuing a cost containment policy and it is clear that getting a big amount for Leao and then reinvesting in other young players is appealing.
Milan will probably reinforce all departments if they got a massive figure for the former Lille man, but who would pay it? Chelsea are expected to launch an offer worth €120m but the intention is to include counterparts to make up that value such as Armando Broja (€30m), Christian Pulisic or Hakim Ziyech to lower the cash sum.
Manchester City are also keen though and that could give Milan some leverage, given the Premier League side sold Raheem Sterling to Chelsea and did not actually replace him. They too will bring an interesting offer and could convince Leao with a huge contract of €10m net per year or even more.
Only cash, no counterparts included, especially not from Chelsea.
From ManCity, on the other hand, I would take Julian Alvarez as a counterpart
I can’t disagree on alvarez but Milan have generally faired well with Chelsea players. And if broja and chaloboah were on the cards and 30/40m then seems good to me. It’s all hypothetical anyway. We will likely secure a free for next summer this winter and that’s it. Surprised if anything else happens though. Most importantly is seeing tge renewsl of isma and leao taken care of. At least we know we’re good for a couple of years to beef out everywhere else.
Milan, with their scouting department led by Moncada, can find the same quality players as Broja and Chalobah for way less than their inflated EPL prices.
Milan need to renew both Leao and Bennacer, but if they can’t, then sell for cash and let Moncada cook with that money
Can’t say much about broja but chalobah is one player I would happily accept in swaps if milan intend to loose leao this Jan or next summer….he will trive under pioli but plz no pulisic or hakim
Leao won’t leave AC Milan anytime soon, he loves the Club, the Club loves him, they will renew before the World Cup.
Funny, that’s what people thought about Donnarumma and King Kessie…
So true, @Vero Rossonero.
Sell and use the cash to build an even stronger team.. Its pretty obvious we cant afford to keep him atm. Milan is still years away from giving high wages.
You’re probably right but man I really want Leao to stay.
We all want but the reality at times is harsh….his salary and plus fine it might seem ok from outside but we milan club operate under strict financial control….I am sure they don’t want to create another kessie or dona situation must be trying their best but sometimes it’s just too much to satisfy players demand these days….I am sure we will unearth a real talent soon….just like we found leao theo
@flyingturtle, 100% agree. No way we can compete with a 10m per year offer from the EPL. Take the 120m cash only and find a replacement for Leao, fix RW and bring in the long term solution at CF in one fell swoop (although some of these might have to wait until the summer). That’s how you build a better squad.
@Nelli, yes Leao is the shiniest thing Milan has seen in a while, but the great thing about football/sports is that there are always great players emerging. Leao isn’t the first and won’t be the last. We can’t afford the wages he really wants, meanwhile we have numerous areas to improve. With the 120m we can do a lot and improve the overall level of the squad beyond what it is now. It will be OK!
This seems like the best solution if Milan must sell.
Pull a Liverpool Coutinho. Who would you want for the left wing know Rebic would be a significant downgrade?
i actually like rebic and he isnt that far behind leao when hes healthy. but if we do sell id rather see we go 3-5-2 so no rw and lw players needed. a good striker and good backup wingbacks would be needed
@Nelli, I’m not sure TBH. Whoever pops up in their matrix that is affordable and has the right skill set. The “right profile” as they say. It will be tough in January one way or the other.
@flyingturtle. I like that idea actually. It kind of takes finding an LW *AND* RW out of the equation. Maybe then use the 120m for a good CF, a good CM (the famous Kessie “replacement”) and a good CB instead? I think these positions will be easier to fill than a top LW and RW, which are always in high demand.
I would even offer a discount to 100m if we are allowed to keep Leao on loan until the summer. That way we can finish off this campaign in the best form possible. The only doubt I have about selling Leao in January is the damage it might do to our effort to finish in the top 4, as this season is turning out to be a very competitive one with 7-8 teams all capable of a top 4 finish.
I agree with this sentiment. If Leao is sold Milan would need to spend a third or more of the sun to find a replacement who would be a like for like. Leao is the linchpin to the whole attack.
A great team builds its identity and winning mentality around a skeleton of strong players. Leao is a unique and charismatic talent – a powerful, explosive, lethal beast – and is irreplacable. Redbird must make up its mind: is AC Milan’s role henceforth simply to serve as a feeder club to the EPL, or do we want to retain our stars and become genuine contenders for Europe’s top prizes again?
Indeed, but is the money going to grow on trees? I don’t think we’re there yet. You need to hold on to that skeleton, and what do you do if the competition offers 10m per season and the player refuses to renew? This is only our second consecutive season in the CL after not participating for 8, we’re reducing our debts and increasing our revenue streams, and finally there is the stadium. Once the we have a new stadium and its revenue THEN we can talk about 8-10m euro salaries and retaining this “core” of top players. Until then we have to play a cat and mouse game with timing contract extensions at the right moment. Like Theo, who is locked down for a bit at 4m per year, but they renewed with him much earlier than they started with Leao. But in a couple of years Theo will be up for renewal and he’s definitely going to be asking in the 8-10m range and if he continues as one of the top 5 LBs in the world then you can be sure richer clubs will be able to offer it. So this is just the situation we find ourselves in. The stadium won’t be done until 2027…
The money isn’t going to grow on trees, but selling our stars, or giving them away for nothing, before the team has reached the summit in Europe again isn’t the answer. Redbird must find other solutions to the financial shortfall vis-a-vis the EPL. Build a new stadium on the sacred San Siro site and do it quickly; don’t let the approval and construction process drag on indefinitely. Fully exploit the club’s commercial potential and attract bigger and better sponsors and investors. And be in the vanguard of the project to form a merit-based, multi-divisional, continental league modelled on existing domestic competitions, and take part in it instead of Serie A. By virtue of its Pan-European character, such a league will more than match the EPL in generating TV broadcasting revenues. I’m afraid if it doesn’t come into being, AC Milan and other continental clubs, with the exception of the parastatal PSG, are likely doomed to play second fiddle financially to the EPL forever. The Rossoneri are the aristocrats of football – one of the world’s legendary sporting brands. They owe it to their fans to keep their stars and become the finished product as a team and win trophies – not sell them and always remain a work-in-progress. It’s time for Europe to unite. If EPL clubs want to join the European League, they should be welcomed. But if they don’t, let them go their own way. Europe will ultimately prevail.
A player qualities might be irreplaceable within the squad, but on the market, everyone is replaceable. Especially with 120 million in your pocket
Perhaps, but that would negate the benefits of selling in a sense. Ideally we’d buy three ~40m players who are 20-23 and are already established but not 100% there yet (or else they’d also be heading to the EPL for 100m), with the idea of making them the finished product in 1-2 seasons. If we bring in a like for like replacement who would it be, since if Leao is worth 100m I think it would not exactly be possible.
Any offer for that amount sell.got to learn to do good business.
it would be massive gain if this can be done on january. leao can fit to play for city so far. play for incredible team with legendary coach, one hit wonder i guess. other hand milan can make it for another player. win win solution.