Aston Villa want to sign Rafael Leao
Aston Villa want to sign Rafael Leao(Image: Getty)
Aston Villa are confident that Rafael Leao would rather sign for them than join Galatasaray, but they would still have to commit to a huge outlay to secure the AC Milan forward.
The 27-year-old has been open to leaving the Serie A giants this summer, and Villa were offered the opportunity to make their move earlier this month.
BirminghamLive reported that Villa were interested in the prospect of signing Leao, but it would prove financially difficult to pull off.
Yet, after receiving encouragement from Leao’s camp, Villa have pushed in a bid to find an agreement with both Milan and the player.
Villa would like to pay a sizeable loan fee and agree an obligation to buy Leao next summer, whereas Galatasaray are reportedly ready to sign him outright now.
The Turkish club can offer Leao a more lucrative wage, but it is understood that he would rather join the Premier League club for less money, even though it would still represent a significant financial commitment from Villa.
Leao has made 291 appearances for Milan since joining them from Lille in the summer of 2019, scoring 80 goals during that time.
Last season, the Portuguese scored 10 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions before representing his nation at the World Cup, featuring in all five of their games.