According to reports in Italy, Chelsea have shown interest in Milan star Rafael Leao who is nowhere close to reaching an agreement over a new deal with the Serie A champions.
Leao was named the best Serie A player in 2021-22 following the Rossoneri’s title win. He has a €150m clause included in his contract and his current deal runs out in June 2024.
Milan have been in talks with his entourage for a long time without reaching an agreement. Leao currently gets €1.5m per season at the Stadio Meazza, and according to Gazzetta, the Rossoneri are open to raising his salary to €6m. The Diavoli could also lower his release clause to €90-100m.
However, the agreement is not on the horizon. The player owes almost €20m to his former club Sporting CP, which he left for nothing in 2018 following a fans’ assault at the team’s training centre.
According to Gazzetta, Chelsea are the only team that has asked for information about Leao in the current transfer window, but there are no official offers on the table at the moment. Corriere dello Sport confirms that the Blues are monitoring the Portuguese star, along with Manchester City.
The pink paper adds that a new figure has joined Leao’s entourage, a lawyer and close friend of the striker’s family who is in charge of negotiations with Jorge Mendes, Leao’s ‘official’ representative.
Meanwhile, the striker returns to Milanello today to begin his pre-season training, but his future at the club remains up in the air.