Milan Transfer Market: Rafael Leão Leaves, but Another Portuguese Player Arrives (on a free transfer)
Milan seems to have finally found a way out for Rafael Leão—or rather, two. The Portuguese winger is being courted by Aston Villa and Galatasaray: The English club is offering a loan with an 8 million euro fee and a mandatory buyout clause set at 45 million, plus 9 million euros per year for the star, while the Turkish club has proposed 45 million euros plus bonuses to Milan and 12 million to the player.
Leão would prefer a move to the Premier League, but the massive salary offered by the Istanbul club is making him waver. Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim had this to say at a press conference: “He’s only trained once and won’t be called up. Still, we’re talking about an excellent player who, with the right mindset, can play for any team in the world. Sometimes in soccer, there comes a time when it makes sense to go elsewhere. And right now, that’s the situation we’re in.”
For every Portuguese player who leaves, there’s one who arrives: that’s the case with Diogo Leite, a center back who became a free agent after his stint with Union Berlin. It appears the Rossoneri are working behind the scenes to finalize a deal with the player born in 1999 and secure a reinforcement for the defensive line, which will also be without Fikayo Tomori.
The English defender has been left out of Ruben Amorim’s plans, and—especially given that his contract expires in June 2027—the Rossoneri are looking for a buyer. So far, a few English clubs have shown interest, but only tentatively—several inquiries but no concrete offers. Evidently, the interested clubs are waiting until the very last days of the transfer window to secure the best possible terms from Milan.
Fresh off a 2-1 victory over Torino—with goals from youngster Alphadjo Cisse and Adrien Rabiot—Ruben Amorim’s team will face Venezia at San Siro on Friday night. On September 6, the Rossoneri will play their first big match of the season: the game is set for the Allianz Stadium against Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus.
