AC Milan have found themselves in a strange position regarding Rafael Leao as we approach the summer transfer window, and all signs point to him staying.
There is no doubting that Leao is the most talented player in the Milan squad but he is arguably not as consistent as he should be given he is fast approaching his prime years.
This season he is on seven goals in Serie A but last season he hit 15 meaning it is unlikely he will even get close to the same tally. Moreover, he has gone missing in the big games.
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A strange season
It has been a strange 2023-24 campaign for Leao. Last season he was firmly at his best, scoring 15 goals in the league as mentioned and assisting eight. However, in 2023-24, his level has dropped below that expected of a player who became the highest paid in the squad last year.
Whilst he has assisted eight times, he has only scored seven times in the league, and whilst numbers outside of Serie A can be taken into account, his top-level performances have been in bunches rather than consistently.
During Sunday’s draw against Genoa the Portuguese winger was met with whistles when he was taken off by Stefano Pioli after a difficult outing, and it was noticed that he went straight down the tunnel.
The bigger problem though is that he ghosted the two legs against Roma in the Europa League (barring an assist for a consolation goal) and the derby against Inter.
Now, it seems to be the case that the top clubs are no longer queuing up to test Milan with bids ahead of the summer window, and thus he is more likely to remain.
The expert opinion
Peppe Di Stefano did a segment for Sky live from outside the training complex about the Portuguese winger and his comments were relayed by Radio Rossonera.
“In my opinion, and maybe I’ll be wrong, he is the most talented player in the team and at the same time the one on whom Milan depend. For better or for worse he is the cross and delight of this team,” he said.
“When they play well, Milan are almost dependent on his strength, his efforts, his goals and his assists. When they play badly, Rafa Leao’s negative performances are often behind it. In the last month he and Milan have left us.
“He renewed his contract a year ago, he earns many millions: he is the one who earns the most at Milan. He has a release clause with aggressive, very high figures.
“And this probably, including a not very positive end to the season, alienates some clubs that until a few weeks ago had shown up to watch Leao’s performances.
“To play in great teams in that specific sector of the pitch you need to have an amazing consistency that Rafa doesn’t seem to have at the moment. Absurdly, it could prove to be an advantage for the Milan world: adequate offers may not arrive and consequently Leao could be a pillar of next season.
“I believe that no one at Milan wants to do without him and I believe that he wants to stay in these parts. But next year we need a further step of growth, perhaps the last one.”
