Premier League side Manchester City are said to be monitoring AC Milan’s Rafael Leao who is also on the radar of PSG and Liverpool.
Liverpool have a long-standing interest in the winger and they had been linked with him during the January transfer window as well. A move did not happen but the Reds are expected to go back for him in the summer.
Recently, PSG have also joined this transfer race because they will lose Kylian Mbappe at the end of this season and the club wants Rafael Leao as the long-term replacement.
Man City’s links are also growing stronger with each passing week and it’s being claimed that the defending European champions are willing to shell out around €100 million to bring him to the Premier League. Leao’s market value is €90 million and last year, he signed a contract extension until the summer of 2028.
Should Rafael Leao choose a move to the EPL or should he head to Paris?
Rafael Leao is a top talent and in 195 games for Milan, the winger has scored 51 goals along with 44 assists. This season, he’s played in 22 league games and has an xG of 3.32 and an xA of 6.46.
Last month, transfer pundit Matteo Moretto had claimed that the Serie A giants will ask for Leao’s €175m release clause to be paid in full for a summer move to happen however, fresh reports are suggesting that Milan will let him leave for a fee in excess of €100m.
Man City and even Liverpool will be lucrative destinations for Rafael Leao but the winger should join PSG if he has plans to leave Italy in the summer.
He’s a constant starter at Milan but at City and Liverpool, he will have to fight for his place from day one. Liverpool have Luis Diaz, Gakpo and Diogo Jota who play on the left wing and Pep has Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku for that position.
Jurgen Klopp will leave in the summer and the new manager might very well look at Rafael Leao as his primary left-winger but there’s no guarantee he is going to be a regular feature.
The same applies to Manchester City because, for Guardiola, no one is a favourite. It all depends on the players’ form and tactics so if Leao fails to settle down quickly then he will be warming the benches, just like Matheus Nunes and Kalvin Phillips.
At PSG, however, the 24-year-old can be the undisputed king on the left-hand side because once Mbappe leaves, that position will be up for grabs. Also, in Paris, he will be able to quote a hefty salary package.
If Rafael Leao wants to advance his career he should eye a move to PSG but then again, Man City are the English treble winners and not every player can shun the chance of working under Pep Guardiola.
