Rafael Leao has outlined his hopes to play in a different league amid Manchester United transfer links
Rafael Leao has confirmed he is leaving AC Milan amid Man United links.
Rafael Leao has confirmed he is leaving AC Milan amid Man United links.(Image: Getty Images)
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Rafael Leao has confirmed he will be leaving AC Milan this summer. The Portugal international has been linked with a Premier League move in recent years and in recent weeks, Manchester United have been credited with an interest.
The 26-year-old's declaration could put United on red alert as Michael Carrick's side look to bolster the squad ahead of their first campaign in the Champions League since 2023-24. Leao is said to be available at a cut-price of around £43million this summer after the Italian giants were forced to settle for the Europa League.
Leao has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Premier League, in particular Chelsea, but an Old Trafford switch has become the latest potential destination, meanwhile United are understood to be in the market for a new winger this summer.
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He told Sport TV Portugal: "I’m proud as I made history at AC Milan but I want new chapter. I feel ready to play in another league. I did my best for Milan, but it’s time to try another challenge."
The 26-year-old netted nine goals and provided three assists for Milan this season during a difficult campaign for the Serie A giants. Leao was deployed predominantly down the middle as a centre-forward with just three of his 29 league outings coming from the left but he has been at his best from the left - scoring 61 times and laying on 56 assists in 208 appearances.
Should United's recruitment figures be watching Leao, they would have to go back to the 2024/25 season to see some of the wingers best moments from the lefft, where he hit double figures for assists (10) and added eight goals.
He posted similar numbers 12 months earlier, contributing with nine goals and setting up a teammate on 10 occasions.
The attacker has previously highlighted how watching Cristiano Ronaldo meant that he was an avid watcher of United. He told the Cernucci podcast: "Yeah of course I like (Manchester) United because my idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, so back then, I used to watch them. I like Arsenal also."
Despite the season finishing seven days ago, United have shown intent in the market and appear to be on the verge of signing Ederson from Atalanta.
Carrick's successful interim period helped guide the club to a third-placed finish and a return to the Champions League but the new United boss has already outlined what he wants to achieve in the upcoming transfer window.
He said: "I think the beauty of the next transfer window, for everybody, it's always the biggest thing in the world, and the most important transfer window of all time, for every club, I think.
"That's just the nature of how it's been created, to be honest, and I think, again, as a football club, you want to keep moving forward. We certainly do. As a football club, we want to keep moving forward.
"I think it's acknowledged we're at this stage, and the dynamics and the balance of the direction we're at, where we've ended up getting to, and finishing in the league, there's obviously work to do.
"It's quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there's a bit of work to do, but this one is not any more important than the last one, it's what's ahead of us as a football club to try and make the most of it."