Mercato: Rafael Leao ready to turn his back on AC Milan?
Summit meeting between the management of the Italian club and the clan of the Portuguese international to discuss a contract extension.
Among Milan’s priorities in terms of the future, there is obviously the firm intention of shielding Rafael Leao at the Rossoneri. Indeed, the reigning Italian champion has succeeded in maneuvers aimed at extending the contract of the Portuguese international, best player in Serie A last year, who is currently linked to AC Milan until June 30, 2024.
A timid first contact
Like the ‘Sky’ report, a first meeting between the parties took place on Tuesday, the result of which can be defined as unsatisfactory: on the one hand the Rossoneri board of directors led by Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara, and on the another the entourage of the number 17 of Milan, awarded during the Gran Galà del calcio as the best player of the 2021/22 championship, represented by the player’s lawyer and one of his collaborators.
The player’s father, however, was conspicuously absent from this first meeting. As is able to confirm OBJECTIVEtoday’s face-to-face, which took place within the walls of Casa Milan, did not allow to register sensitive and important progress, and will probably only remain in the archives as the first of a long series of meetings.
Chelsea, lurking in the shadows
Despite AC Milan’s absolute desire to keep the Lusitanian striker – who is happy with the Rossoneri – the path to a contract extension promises to be tortuous and complicated. This presupposes the need for new meetings in the coming weeks which will be decisive in unblocking the situation.
AC Milan does not want to lose the most representative player of this winning project, but the negotiation will by no means be simple, as ‘Sky’ points out: Leao’s demands are high and the player will have to pay compensation of 16 .5 million to Sporting due to irregularities during the club’s transfer from Lisbon to Lille in 2018.
Another tangled knot in an already very tangled affair. And in the background, the big European clubs – including Chelsea – are watching closely, lurking in the shadows, the developments and possible scenarios that could redefine the future of the fourteenth Ballon d’Or 2022. The game is far from be won for AC Milan and if a departure from the Portuguese is not yet on the agenda, the next few weeks will be decisive for his future.