Arsenal and Manchester United may have received a huge boost in the race to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
Bayern Munich have suffered a big blow this week after Nico Williams decided to stay at Athletic Bilbao. He was a dream target for the German club, but the Spanish winger rejected the chance to join Bayern after failing to secure a move to Barcelona.
The German giants need to sign a new left-winger this summer and have considered Leao as an option. However, opinions are divided inside the Bayern camp, which should give Arsenal and Manchester United an edge if they decide to make a formal move.
Rafael Leao – the latest scenario
Rafael Leao ahead of AC Milan v Genoa
(Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
The Gunners are looking to bolster their attacking options, and Leao has emerged as one of their main targets, along with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.
Leao is a key player for AC Milan, and the Serie A giants are unlikely to sell him for anything less than £60m. The Portuguese winger recently flirted with Arsenal fans after he posted a picture of himself wearing a Thierry Henry tee on his personal Instagram.
Manchester United have signed Matheus Cunha this summer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and they are also keen to sign Bryan Mbeumo. However, it appears that the Red Devils are still looking to sign more wingers, with the futures of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho in big doubt.
Christian Falk has exclusively informed CFBayern that, along with Bayern and Arsenal, the Red Devils are also interested in Leao.
Gianluca Di Marzio reported previously that the German giants could bid in the region of £42m-£50m for Leao, but as of now, they have not made any approach.
Falk claims that Leao could be an expensive signing for Bayern as he is on high wages at AC Milan. Nevertheless, he remains an option for them.
“Rafael Leão is expected to earn around €6.5m-7m net at AC Milan – a salary that would catapult him into the category of stars like Serge Gnabry at Bayern Munich,” said Falk.
“That would be too expensive. Nevertheless, the Portuguese left winger is still on the list. However, it is not concrete at the moment. Arsenal and Manchester United are also rumoured to be interested.”
Are Bayern not entirely convinced by Leao?
Falkpreviously informed CFBayern that Germany legend Lothar Matthäus is a big fan of the AC Milan attacker, and he thinks the 26-year-old would be a good signing for Bayern.
Leao completed more dribbles (213) than any other player over the last three Serie A seasons, as per WhoScored, and he is definitely an exciting player to watch.
Furthermore, he can also play as a striker, which means Bayern can use him as a backup option for Harry Kane as well.
At the same time, Bayern are not entirely convinced by the player’s attitude. They have doubts over his mentality and his lack of defensive effort.
Therefore, chances are high that Bayern will pass down the opportunity to sign Leao, leaving Arsenal and Man Utd in a strong position to lure him away from San Siro.
→ READ MORE: The Bayern Insider: Rafael Leão receives transfer seal of approval
→ READ MORE:Christian Falk’s Fact Files – Manchester United are interested in Felix Nmecha