Milan market, the rumor from Spain: Barcelona thinks of Rafa Leao
Acc Milan soccer market: the Rossoneri attack of the future could be intertwined in a very ramified way with Barcelona, with an unexpected involvement of Rafa Leao. The Portuguese striker, a longtime number 10 now in his seventh season with the Rossoneri and a star who has never fully reached the levels of brilliance the environment expected, has even in recent weeks been the victim of the now cyclical fan protests. So much so that a scenario that was impractical until a while ago is now possible: his eventual farewell. With, potentially, a big name to take his place: that of Robert Lewandowski.
According to ‘Marca’, in fact, Joan Laporta would include Rafa Leao in a list of strikers he would like to bring to Barcelona. The Lusitanian, compared to others, would not be the number one option for the entire Blaugrana management, but he remains a hypothesis that could be carefully evaluated in the weeks to come. Especially since Milan is known to have in its sights Lewandowski, whose renewal with the Catalans is in doubt. And who knows, the two clubs may decide to come together in their respective requirements.
The situation around Lewandowski is entering its decisive phase. According to ‘Mundo Deportivo,’ Pini Zahavi, agent of the Polish center forward, will meet with the Blaugrana management by early May to define the future of his client. Barcelona would be intent on proposing a renewal valid for one season only, with expiration set for June 30, 2027-a proposal that may not be enough to convince Lewandowski, given the distances between the parties even on the salary front. President Laporta himself had publicly declared his esteem for the Pole: “We would like him to stay, but it will depend on what he wants. He arrived at a difficult time and has helped us a lot, and we want him to continue to do so.” Important words, but evidently not yet enough to close the issue.
In the meantime, agent Zahavi is expected in Italy as early as the next few days, with a meeting practically certain with Juventus executives, who have shown a concrete and lasting interest in the Polish center forward. It is not ruled out, however, that the prosecutor may take advantage of the trip to also sound out the situation at AC Milan, where sporting director Igli Tare had already contacted the player’s entourage in recent months to test the waters. Serie A, in short, is concretely behind the door for Lewandowski, although his current preference would be to continue wearing the Blaugrana jersey.
On the Rossoneri front, the sale of Leao would represent the starting point for a profound transformation of the offensive department. Milan would be ready to negotiate his departure for an amount around 50 million euros, a figure far removed from the 175 million rescission clause inserted in his contract in the past to armor him from the onslaught of top clubs. With a contract expiring in 2028, the summer of 2026 is seen as the last useful moment to monetize in a reasonable manner, avoiding further depreciation of the player’s tag. Among the possible destinations for the Portuguese, in addition to Barcelona, the Premier League track remains alive with Manchester United in the background, not forgetting the rich proposals coming from Saudi Arabia.
The coach Massimiliano Allegri, for his part, would find himself having to rebuild the offensive department almost from scratch, with the hypothesis of switching to a trident from the current 3-5-2. In this context, the Lewandowski idea remains suggestive, but Milan would also be carefully considering other avenues: among the profiles being monitored are Nicolas Jackson, set to return to Chelsea after his experience at Bayern Munich, and Mateo Retegui, currently in Saudi Arabia but eager to return to a competitive league. Interest in Lewandowski, moreover, is not new: as early as December, sporting director Tare had initiated initial contacts with the Polish player’s entourage, aware that at the end of the season he would be released on a zero-parameter basis from Barcelona.
