Real Madrid are reportedly willing to include Luka Jovic in their offer to AC Milan as they look to lure Rafael Leao away from the Serie A champions.
As reported by Defensa Central, Real Madrid are ready to up the ante in their efforts to sign AC Milan and Portugal forward Rafael Leao in the summer transfer window. The reigning Spanish and La Liga champions are ready to include out-of-favour striker Luka Jovic as a makeweight in the deal to land the 22-year-old from the Rossoneri.
Leao has been with Milan since the summer of 2019 when he arrived from LOSC Lille. After two decent seasons in Italy, the forward stepped up his game in the 2021/22 campaign, playing a pivotal part in AC Milan’s run to the Serie A title as the Rossoneri won their first Scudetto in 11 years. Leao finished the season with a return of 14 goals and 12 assists from 42 games across all competitions.
The Portuguese international’s form has not gone unnoticed, with several top clubs from across Europe casting admiring glances towards him, including Real Madrid. The Merengues are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements heading into the summer as they prepare to bid goodbye to Gareth Bale, while Marcos Asensio’s future remains uncertain as well.
Furthermore, Real Madrid missed out on the signing of their priority target Kylian Mbappe, who signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain after months of speculations linking him with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. The champions of Spain and Europe have thus narrowed in on Leao as their preferred alternative for Mbappe.
But, AC Milan are prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep hold of their star forward, with director Paolo Maldini claiming that the 22-year-od was non-transferable. Despite that, Real Madrid are ready to test the Italian champions’ resolve by launching an offer to secure the services of the former Lille forward.
As per the report, Real Madrid will make a sizable offer in cash and throw in Luka Jovic as part of the deal to try and convince AC Milan to part ways with Leao. Jovic has been out of favour at Real Madrid for much of his stint since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
The Serbian international barely featured in the season gone by, and is unlikely to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu beyond the summer. Jovic has previously been on the radars of AC Milan, and Real Madrid are hoping to make use of that interest to use him as a sweetener in their bid to land Rafael Leao.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s future has been cast into doubt following his ACL surgery, and Olivier Giroud is in the final phase of his career. So, even though AC Milan are closing in on the Bosman signing of Divock Origi, another centre-forward would be a welcome addition. So, the Italian champions could consider the possibility of signing Jovic, although it will be interesting to see if their stance on Leao changes.