Man United make contact with Rafael Leao over summer swoop
Manchester United have “concrete interest” in signing Rafael Leao with AC Milan increasingly open to the 25-year-old winger’s departure, according to a report.
The Red Devils hold a long-standing interest in Leao whose unique blend of speed, strength and skill offers the quintessential prototype of a modern forward which few players in Europe can match when he’s in form.
Despite standing 6’2, Leao retains excellent acceleration and is an absolute nightmare for opposition defences when running with the ball at his feet at full flight, given his outrageous technical ability and powerful frame.
However, he remains a player plagued by inconsistency; unable to find the next gear which will elevate his talent from prospect to premier amongst his peers.
The Portuguese international finished the season with 8 goals and 8 assists in Serie A. For a winger with his talent, approaching his peak years in a league where pace and power puts you on a pedestal, he should be hitting double figures at a minimum in both.
AC Milan have endured a difficult season domestically, however, potentially limiting Leao’s contributions as a result.
I Rossoneri finished 8th in the table, seven points off Champions League qualification and 19 points off league leaders Napoli. They lost the final of the Coppa Italia to Bologna, though did triumph in the Supercoppa Italiana over bitter rivals Inter Milan in January.
But without the prospect of any European football for Milan next season, the club are believed to be “increasingly” open to the sales of key stars – including Leao.
A report by TEAMtalk reveals “Milan’s failure to qualify for European football next term has sent shockwaves through the club and opened the door for potential suitors to pounce and sign Leao.
“Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Man Utd, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are all monitoring developments closely, with each side registering concrete interest in recent weeks. Arsenal and Barcelona have also touched base with Leao’s representatives, we understand.”
The report concludes that the “most concrete” suitors for the 25-year-old winger are Bayern Munich, closely followed by United and Chelsea.
A €100 million (£84m) price tag is mooted by TEAMtalk for Leao which would provide a significant stumbling block to the Reds’ pursuit, even if the club were to sell Alejandro Garnacho to help fund a move.
There is also the issue of one inside forward with excellent speed and incisive dribbling ability, who lacks the consistency or attitude to translate his talents on the pitch, having already been discarded by Ruben Amorim this season – Marcus Rashford.
There are a number of parallels, both positive and negative, between Rashford and Leao. But most relevant is the fact that neither are a comfortable fit in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, making the prospect of an £84 million raid on the San Siro this summer a hard one to envision.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
