AC Milan will sell Man Utd & Chelsea-target Rafa Leao if…

Carlo Garganese

Updated: 5 Apr 2023 15:33 BST
3 min read

AC Milan will sell Man Utd & Chelsea-target Rafa Leao this summer if he does not sign a new contract by Easter.

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That is according to Gazzetta dello Sport, which reports that Milan have grown weary at the lack of progress in contract talks and have issued the Portuguese star an ultimatum.

Milan have made it clear that if Leao has not signed a new contract by the end of Easter then contract talks will be ended and the attacker put on the market.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea are watching developments closely but have not yet made a concrete offer for the player.

Gazzetta reports that Milan have offered Leao a deal that makes him the highest paid player at the club but the ex-Lille star is demanding €7 million a year plus a signing-on bonus and €16m to pay his outstanding debt to Sporting Lisbon.

Milan are not prepared to go this high in terms of salary and will not contribute to the Sporting fine.

Leao’s contract at San Siro expires in 2024, meaning in the event of the contract not being extended, Milan will sell him to avoid losing him on a free transfer next year.

Rafa Leao contract problems

Leao and Milan have been in talks since last summer to extend but hope is now starting to run out at San Siro in convincing the 23-year-old to stay.

© ProShots - Rafa Leao has struggled this calendar year

The biggest hurdle to overcome is that Milan are refusing to pay for the compensation that Leao owes to former club Sporting Lisbon.

The forward has been ordered to pay Sporting €19.5m after losing a court case over breach of contract.

Leao walked away from Sporting as a free agent in 2018 after the club’s training ground was invaded by fans, claiming it threatened his safety as an employee.

But Leao lost the legal case and he wants the club who he signs his new contract with to pay this compensation.

Leao was Milan’s key player as they won their first Serie A title in 11 years last season. He was named Serie A Player of the Year, scoring 14 goals and grabbing 12 assists in all competitions.

This term he has been dogged by inconsistency, with questions raised over his motivation as Milan have struggled badly to retain their title.

However, after going 11 games without a goal, Leao returned to form on Sunday with two excellent goals as Milan thrashed leaders Napoli 4-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.