Manchester City are willing to pay upto €100 million for Rafael Leao, as AC MIlan could hold for a fee closer to his enormous release clause.
According to Fichajes, Manchester City might weigh up a €100 million move for Rafael Leao in the summer. Pep Guardiola has an interest in the 24-year-old Serie A star, although AC Milan might hold out for a fee close to his release clause, believed in the region of €150 million or more.
Manchester City want Rafael Leao
AC Milan were persistent in their efforts to renew Rafael Leao’s contract, which now enables them the security to protect his long-term value. There are significant doubts whether the 24-year-old Serie A star will see out his new contract, as the chances are he might leave for a more substantial challenge this summer.
Should Milan hint at a potential sale of their 24-year-old winger, loads of clubs will queue up to take him away, with Manchester City likely to dash to the front. Pep Guardiola wants a big-name wide attacker in the summer, as his club is willing to fork out €100 million for the Portuguese international.
A €100 million offer would tempt any club towards a sale, and Manchester City are ready to test AC Milan with such a proposal, as per the report. However, the Rosoneri are likely to push suitors to make a bid closer to Leao’s reported release clause, which is somewhere between €150 million and €175 million, depending on different sources.
There are other sides in the hunt, like Chelsea and PSG, which allows Milan power in the race. Hence, it might take a massive bid from Manchester City or any other side to impress AC Milan, who will want to maximise Leao’s transfer value.
Who will Leao replace at Manchester City?
Guardiola was ideally looking for a new player to play on the right wing where Riyad Mahrez used to be a regular. With the Algerian now in Saudi Arabia, Manchester City has yet to particularly sign a replacement and even sold Cole Palmer, who plays on that side of the pitch.
Leao’s natural position is on the left, and he could add massive value to the club like Jack Grealish did when he arrived. Incidentally, the Portuguese star could potentially even replace the England international, who has not played much this season. Moreover, Jeremy Doku still needs much more time to adapt, as Guardiola will want a sure-shot solution to increase the quality on the left-hand side of the attack.
