Chelsea had expressed an interest in Rafael Leao in the recent summer transfer window. However, AC Milan shut down any chance of negotiation by citing the 120 million euro release clause of Leao. Chelsea withdrew their interest to pursue Leao in the next transfer window. Now, Paolo Maldini, the technical director of Milan has renewed speculations about the future of Leao with his cryptic statement.
Speaking to Get Italian Football news, Maldini said that no departure can be ruled out in the upcoming transfer window. He said:
“Have I rejected offers for Leao and Hernandez? I told some not to even show up. In the context of the sustainability, we have the accounts in order, and we don’t need to sell. We want to keep the strongest players, but today there are no more non-transferable players.“
Rafael Leao has had a meteoric rise in his career. A graduate of the Sporting CP academy Leao joined Lille after a dispute between him and Sporting CP. His performances with Lille captured the attention of AC Milan. AC Milan then snapped up Leao on a five-year contract for a deal of €35 million in 2021. Leao hit his stride in the 2021/22 season winning the Serie A MVP player. He finished the campaign with 10 goals and eleven assists. In the 2021-22 season, he was in the top three of the best dribblers in Europe after Vini Jr and Saint-Maximin.
Chelsea might reinvigorate interest for Rafael Leao
Chelsea has had a lot of departures in forward’s departure in the past few seasons. Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner have left Chelsea to go back to Inter Milan and RB Leipzig respectively. Chelsea have brought in Raheem Sterling and Aubameyang as reinforcements in attack. However, Chelsea will be hoping that Leao is a part of the solution to the underwhelming attack of Chelsea
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