Rafael Leao took three minutes to find the net on his World Cup debut for Portugal, inevitably sparking online debate about his Milan contract extension and the interest from Chelsea and Arsenal.
The 23-year-old was only on his 12th senior cap for his country when coming off the bench in the 3-2 win over Ghana.
He scored three minutes later and with his first touch by springing the offside trap on a Bruno Fernandes pass and finding the far bottom corner.
It did not go unnoticed that Leao had a grin on his face before the ball had even hit the back of the net, something he has done several times in the Rossoneri jersey already.
The reaction online saw many Portugal and Milan fans ask why he wasn’t in the starting XI, considering he was the Serie A Player of the Season in 2021-22 and won the Scudetto.
Leao’s agents have hesitated in accepting the latest improved contract offer from Milan, hoping his performances in the World Cup in Qatar might raise his profile and asking price even more.
With that in mind, Rossoneri supporters were calling for their club to accept the €9m per season request and bump up that salary to keep him.
His current deal runs to June 2024, so if he doesn’t extend, a sale in the summer or even in January is on the cards.
Chelsea have been most heavily linked with Leao, but there are also those suggesting Arsenal would be an interesting next step in his career.
At least Leao sent a message to Milan as well when teammate Ismael Bennacer congratulated him, thanking his ‘family.’
I’m fine with 9 mill per season for him to stay, he’s star quality
They’ll have to sell him if he doesn’t sign. They’ve lost a fortune on players leaving for free in recent years.