Contract renewal talks between Rafael Leao and Milan have reportedly collapsed and the club are now prepared to sell the Portugese star in the summer.
La Gazzetta dello Sport details how things were looking positive between the two parties in December and hopes were high that a renewal could be agreed, but two elements in particular sent the negotiations down the wrong path.
The first was Leao’s salary requests; whilst the exact figures are unclear, what is apparent is that the 23-year-old rejected an offer worth €7m net per season. He took to social media to deny reports that he was asking for a €10m net salary.
The second issue was the release clause. Leao wanted the €120m discussed to be almost halved to around €70-80m, figures the club found unacceptable. Milan preferred to remove the clause entirely, something the Portugese star could not agree to.
Milan have now taken the next steps and have two main priorities heading into the second half of the season: to cash in as much as possible from Leao’s sale and find an adequate replacement before the summer.
With his current contract set to expire in June 2024, it’ll be hard for the Rossoneri to request the kind of fees that Chelsea seemed willing to pay last summer.
UPDATE (14.57): Milan have released a statement in response to these reports: “Stories on negotiations collapsed with Leao are fake — also damaging image of both club and player. Milan keep negotiating with Leao in professional way”.