Manchester United and Arsenal have made formal enquiries over a deal to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao this summer, according to journalist Nicolo Schira.
Leao joined AC Milan from Lille in the summer of 2019 for a fee significantly below his current £43m Transfermarkt valuation, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting wide players.
The 26-year-old Portuguese winger enjoyed his breakthrough campaign in 2021-22, producing 14 goals and 12 assists as Stefano Pioli guided AC Milan to the Serie A title.
Those performances earned Leao the league’s MVP award, cementing his reputation as one of the standout attackers in Italian football during that period.
Although Milan have been unable to return to those title-winning heights since, Leao has continued to perform at a consistently high level for the Rossoneri.
He played a significant role in Milan’s triumph in the 2024-25 Supercoppa Italiana, further underlining his importance to the club despite a difficult personal season.
However, Leao has faced scrutiny for several on-pitch scuffles, including tense exchanges with teammates, former coach Massimiliano Allegri, and the Milanese fans after being booed off during games against Atalanta and Udinese.
That scrutiny has led the winger to reveal that he wants a new chapter away from Milan, attracting interest from clubs across Europe’s top leagues.
Schira reports that Leao is open to a Premier League switch and is ready to leave Milan this summer despite having two years remaining on his contract at San Siro.
Leao netted just ten goals and provided three assists across all competitions last season, significantly lower than the 25 goal contributions he recorded in 2023-24 and the 29 he produced in 2022-23.
In the recently concluded campaign, the former Lyon and Sporting player recorded an 83.7% pass success rate, created 23 chances, and demonstrated transition ability with 77.8% accuracy on long balls.
His defensive output remains a concern, however, with just 18 defensive contributions for Milan last season raising questions about his suitability for high-tempo sides like Arsenal or United.
Having previously played in the Portuguese, French, and Italian leagues, England’s Premier League appears to be the next destination for the highly-rated winger.