Rafael Leao admits he ‘never expected Sandro Tonali to leave’ Milan, as he was the heir to Gennaro Gattuso, but today completed the transfer to Newcastle United.
The Portugal international published a video of himself on vacation with his family on a boat and was answering questions, including on his teammates at San Siro.
“Tonali is an important player for us, I never expected him to leave,” said Leao on the video.
“He made the difference for us in midfield and I saw him as the heir to Gattuso, because he has been a Milan supporter since he was a little kid. I saw him being at Milan for many years.
“We had a good rapport. I wish him good luck and success in his new adventure.”
The statement that Tonali made when completing the transfer to Newcastle United did make it clear that this was not his preferred career path, noting he hoped it would not be a full goodbye to Milan, but that he would return to San Siro.
Milan accepted the fee of circa €70m plus another €10m in various add-ons and a cut of the sell-on fee.