Chelsea have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of AC Milan star Rafael Leao, with the Portuguese attacker believed to be demanding hefty wages to stay put at San Siro.
Rafael Leao, 23, has become one of the most coveted forwards in Europe in the last 12-15 months, owing to his eye-catching displays for AC Milan. As his stock continues to grow, Milan want to tie him down to a new contract due to the player’s current deal expiring in 2024.
According to Sky Italia, AC Milan are facing an uphill battle to keep hold of Rafael Leao amid the player’s high wage demands and growing interest from European clubs. He is demanding a yearly wage of £170,000-a-week—the highest wage packet ever handed out by Milan—to sign a new contract amidst interest from Chelsea, the report adds.
Rafael Leao moved to Milan from Sporting CP in 2019 and has slowly but steadily developed into the club’s most important player, and significantly perhaps, their most valuable asset in current times.
Rafael Leao to Chelsea—Should the Blues go all out for him?
Rafael Leao has established himself as one of the best players in Serie A and it is hardly a surprise that top European clubs are circling around him.
The Portuguese forward was a crucial cog in the Rossoneri’s first Scudetto triumph in 11 years last term, scoring 11 times in 34 Serie A appearances. The 23-year-old has continued his sparkling form into the new campaign, bagging six goals and supplying a further nine assists across 18 appearances in all competitions, and it is believed that he would cost any potential suitor upwards of £100m.
Chelsea are among a host of clubs vying for Leao’s signature. The Blues splashed big on attackers like Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer but the duo is yet to lighten up Stamford Bridge. Also, players such as Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech have failed to live up to the hefty transfer fees the club spent a few years ago while signing them.
It seems inevitable that Rafael Leao will move for big money next year, and Chelsea would do well to make a statement by signing him from Milan. Leao could be someone the Blues can build around for the best part of the next decade, with Aubameyang not particularly a long-term option.
Graham Potter is now at the helm of Chelsea, a manager who wants to play a possession-based, exciting and attacking brand of football aided with youth and vigour. And a player of Leao’s ilk could become the face of Potter’s rebuilding project at Stamford Bridge. At just 23 years of age, the ex-Lille man has plenty of room to grow and become a massive asset for the club.
So, if Chelsea need to spend upwards of £100m for Leao, they must back Potter in aiding his big project.
