Milan Transfer Market: Agreement Reached with Galatasaray, but Rafa Leao Gets in the Way—What’s Missing?

Milan Transfer News: Rafa Leao’s transfer to Galatasaray has never been closer, but once again, it is the player himself who is throwing a wrench in the works for the Rossoneri management. However, on Wednesday, the Milan club reached a full agreement on the terms with the Turkish club’s leadership: the transfer could go through for 45 million euros plus bonuses, and the parties are working to finalize the deal as soon as possible. Above all, to dispel the Portuguese player’s lingering doubts. He should, however, be persuaded by the lavish contract worth 10 million plus 2 in bonuses that has been promised to him. And his “yes”—which has not yet been given—remains the very last hurdle to overcome.

It should be noted that the path toward this agreement has been anything but straightforward. In recent weeks, Galatasaray had already submitted an initial offer of approximately 40 million euros plus bonuses, accompanied by a contract worth 12 million net per season—nearly double what Leao currently earns— but the Portuguese player had been stalling, leaving the Yellow-Reds increasingly frustrated by his lack of positive signals. So much so that the Turkish club had begun exploring alternatives, stepping up contacts with Crystal Palace’s Ismaïl Sarr.

Meanwhile, other avenues had also opened and closed. Aston Villa, the reigning Europa League champion and a future Champions League participant, had added Leao to its list of players to evaluate, initiating intensive talks with Milan and agent Jorge Mendes. The Rossoneri, however, were unwilling to go below a guaranteed 50 million, and the financial gap with the Villans was never bridged. According to the latest reports, Leao himself reportedly turned down the move to Birmingham, just as he had previously rejected advances from Al-Hilal—a club that had gone so far as to offer him 15 million net per season but which does not fit into his plans to remain in Europe.

Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham had also evaluated the Portuguese player’s profile, but Leao’s candidacy reportedly did not garner unanimous support within the London club, resulting in mutual disappointment for both Milan and the player. In the background, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma had also remained in the picture, ready to present a loan offer with a fee of around 4 million and a mandatory buyout clause of 41 million, taking advantage of the “decreto crescita” to cover 80% of his salary: an option that Milan would have considered only in the absence of more substantial offers.

The internal situation at the club isn’t helping Leao find the motivation to stay. Ruben Amorim had already publicly demoted him before the first matchday of the season—“he’s not important; let’s focus on the field,” he said at a press conference—and the Portuguese player has been training separately from the rest of the squad for weeks. Stepping up, at least in part, to fill his shoes in attack is the young Alphadjo Cissé, born in 2006, who started in the 2-1 away victory over Torino in the league opener and has already made a decisive impact with a goal. It’s no coincidence that Amorim, after the friendly against Manchester United in which Cissé scored the goal that tied the game at 2-2, predicted: “He’ll make life difficult for Rafa Leao.”