BREAKING: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Asserts Rafael Leao’s Stay at AC Milan Despite Big-Name Pursuits.
Rafael Leao will always be around! Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set on AC Milan keeping the Portuguese attacker, even in the face of interest from Chelsea, PSG, and Al-Hilal.
Senior AC Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists Rafael Leao will “remain” at the Italian giants despite links with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The 25-year-old has long been a transfer target of PSG and Chelsea but his reputed £150 million ($189m) release clause is likely to scare off potential bidders. Now, Rossoneri veteran Ibrahimovic claims Leao, goalkeeper Mike Maignan, and left-back Theo Hernandez are all staying put.
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC’S QUOTES
At a press conference, the 42-year-old stated: “Maignan, Theo, and Leao are still there. They are the strongest in their roles, they have a contract with us and I’m happy about it. I don’t need domino effects to appear. Thanks to RedBird’s (majority owners of Milan) work we can buy strong players: the club has already
brought in 12 players setting the framework for the future. This is the second year; we have to improve via the details and every day, we have a scouting system all over the world and every day. To close a purchase you need a process. What is key is the correct profile.”
THE LARGER IMAGE
Leao, in particular, is the most well regarded of the aforementioned three, therefore the Italian powerhouses must hang onto him. He scored nine goals and collected 10 assists in Serie A this season and still has four years left on his deal. As Milan looks to win trophies once more, new Milan manager Paulo Fonseca would undoubtedly want to cling onto him for the upcoming campaign.
Next?
Leao, who has also been connected to a lucrative transfer to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, is getting ready to represent Portugal in the European Championship in Germany. Roberto Martinez’s team takes on the Czech Republic on Tuesday to kick off their campaign.
