Rafael Leao, the AC Milan star, has stated his desire to play in the Premier League, something Chelsea may be interested in.
Leao has been one of Europe’s brightest young prospects this season, scoring 13 goals and giving 13 assists across all competitions.
AC Milan has had a difficult season, putting up a poor Serie A title defense and risking missing out on next season’s Champions League.
They were eliminated from this season’s semi-finals on Tuesday, losing 1-0 to city rivals Inter to finish with a 3-0 aggregate deficit.
Leao has been the season’s biggest bright spot, with his performances against newly crowned Scudetto winners Napoli in April being a highlight.
Throughout the season, speculation over his future has been rampant, with Manchester City and Chelsea both connected with the Portuguese winger.
Milan scored a major coup by signing the 23-year-old to a new five-year contract earlier this month, but it hasn’t dampened his desire to leave the San Siro.
“Anyone would like to play in the Premier League because it’s a very competitive league,” Leao told Record in a recent interview.
“It has exciting football, great teams, and a global audience.” Serie A is currently positioned very well in international football… In the future, the Premier League.”
Chelsea may be inspired to attempt again in the future to sign Leao, even if their earlier approaches were firmly rejected.
The London club attempted to sign Leao last summer, proposing Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic in a swap deal, according to The Mirror.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea co-owners, set aside £87 million for a deal, but Milan refused to budge.
Milan was under less financial pressure to sell after winning Serie A and qualifying for the Champions League.
They informed Chelsea that they would have to pay the £130 million release clause in Leao’s contract, and that was the end of it.
Chelsea revisited the situation in January, buoyed by the fact that Leao’s contract was coming to an end.
Following Leao’s recent commitment to his club, it’s possible that we’ll have to wait a little longer for the next great Portuguese winger to grace the Premier League.
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