AC Milan's No.10 Rafael Leao has undoubtedly been the brightest presence in the squad this season. With his incisive penetration, blistering pace and mastery of the goal, Rafael Leao has scored 12 goals this season and provided a number of crucial assists to set the stage for the Rossoneri's revival. After a brief slump in his career, the Portuguese winger returned to peak form like a phoenix, leading Milan to long-lost glory with his unique charm.
Despite a poor performance this morning, Rafael Leao will undoubtedly be a key part of the decisive match against Roma, and his unpredictable attacking approach will certainly challenge the Roma defence, led by Francesco Totti's successor, De Rossi, as AC Milan try to reach the semi-finals.
As the season draws to a close, the remaining seven league games, two Europa League knockout games and more to come will be condensed into Leao's moments at the San Siro. However, when the season comes to an end, the turmoil in the transfer market will also come as expected. AC Milan will have to face a fervent pursuit of Leao from Europe's top clubs, especially the deep-pocketed Premier League giants.
Fichajes have revealed that Manchester United and Arsenal have shown interest in Leao, with Manchester United preparing a super offer worth up to €145 million to include the Portuguese star. Manchester United's strategic approach is particularly evident, with a deliberate tweaking of their tactical system to unlock the potential of England striker Marcus Rashford by freeing up space on the left flank and allowing Rafael Leao to play a more important role.
It is worth noting that Leao signed a long-term contract with AC Milan until 2028 in June last year, with an annual salary of 5 million euros plus a sizable bonus, ensuring that he can earn at least 7 million euros in a year. Still, in today's football, it's not as much as the deep-pocketed Premier League clubs, let alone Europe's top clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The contract signed between Leao and Milan also includes a release clause of up to 175 million euros, which also indicates that a fierce bidding battle around him may be staged in the near future.
The arrival of international competitions such as the European Championship can often double the value of the players involved, and if Leao can perform well in the tournament, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of more clubs, or even trigger a transfer auction around his name. In the face of such huge economic temptations and the possibility of future development, how will AC Milan weigh whether to keep the rising superstar to continue to consolidate the results of the revival, or to accept this unprecedentedly high offer according to the laws of the market? This is not only a question that needs to be considered by Milan's top management, but also the focus of attention of the majority of fans, and it is also a major suspense in the transfer market of world football this summer.