Mansion Sports – For the time being, the Portuguese forward has not opened the door to leaving for the clubs that have expressed interest in him, despite a salary offer worth €10 million per season already being on the table.

Gerry Cardinale's new mission at AC Milan has many objectives, including resolving and creating an exit route for several transfer situations that are preventing the club from fulfilling additional requests from head coach Rubén Amorim following the signings of Gonçalo Ramos and Mario Gila for a combined fee of approximately €100 million.

The most complicated and urgent issue at the moment concerns the future of Rafael Leao.

Everyone Wants the Same Outcome

The Portuguese international is enjoying the final days of his vacation after Portugal's elimination from the FIFA World Cup, while both he and AC Milan await a resolution regarding the next destination of his career.

The statements repeatedly made by Leao last May about his desire to end his journey in Italy and begin a new adventure in a different league after seven years with AC Milan remain unchanged.

That desire also aligns with AC Milan's view, as the club believes this is the right time to part ways.

That assessment is based on technical and tactical reasons, economic considerations—since Leao is the club's highest-paid player with earnings of €7 million per season including bonuses—as well as motivational factors.

However, the situation has so far remained deadlocked, creating what is considered a fairly risky stalemate.

Between England and Türkiye

The Portuguese forward has never hidden his desire to join a top league that matches his ambitions, namely La Liga or, above all, the Premier League.

However, for the moment, the rumors linking him with Aston Villa and Tottenham have not been supported by any truly concrete developments. The genuine interest in Leao has instead come from Türkiye, specifically from the two biggest clubs in the Süper Lig, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.

For the time being, neither option appeals to Leao, even though both clubs have offered salaries reaching eight figures per season.

The Cost of the Transfer Operation

Meanwhile, AC Milan is expecting an offer of €60 million for Leao's permanent transfer.

According to the latest financial statements approved through June 30, 2025, the book value of the player born in 1999 stands at €16.8 million.

The Rossoneri hope to generate a significant profit from the sale in order to have sufficient resources to reinvest in the signing of a left-footed attacking midfielder.

If the deadlock of recent days continues, AC Milan could also consider another solution, such as a loan agreement with a substantial loan fee accompanied by a conditional obligation to buy in order to resolve Leao's future.

Fenerbahçe Prepares a Serious Move

Leao is certain to miss AC Milan's first official preseason friendly against Celtic Glasgow on Saturday, July 25.

However, he is expected to join the team in Australia, the first destination of Rubén Amorim's squad on its world tour, together with fellow Portuguese international Gonçalo Ramos on July 29.

His future may still remain undecided by then. However, an important development has emerged over the past few hours.

A Fenerbahçe delegation has planned a special visit to Milan to meet with the lawyer representing Leao's interests and present the Turkish club's official proposal, which includes a salary of €10 million per season.

Fenerbahçe has already spent more than €60 million during this summer's transfer window to sign Nathan Aké, Vedat Muriqi, and Mason Greenwood.

After communicating with the intermediaries handling those transfers, the club has now also added Rafael Leao to its list of transfer targets.