Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will have to pay €150 million (£127.56 million) if they are to sign Rafael Leao, according to comments from AC Milan director Paolo Maldini in the Gazzetta dello Sport.
Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a move for AC Milan forward Leao.
Earlier this month, La Repubblica, reported that Liverpool and Newcastle United are interested in signing Leao from Milan in the summer transfer window.
It was La Repubblica who reported in February 2022 that Arsenal are keen on bringing the 22-year-old Portugal international forward to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Arsenal and Liverpool target Rafael Leao’s release clause
Milan director Maldini told the Gazzetta dello Sport about Leao, as translated by Cult of Calico: “He is untouchable, that is for sure.
“He is still a rough diamond and improved a lot in a year. We signed him when he was a bench player at Lille for €24M and inserted a €150m (£127.56m) release clause because we believed in him a lot.
“He has always been a potential champion and just needed some help. In the future, things might change if Milan were not at his level or vice versa. But both are in a period of exponential growth right now.”
Expensive
In our opinion, if AC Milan do not want to sell Rafael Leao for less than £127.5 million, then Arsenal and Liverpool should not pursue a transfer deal for the attacker.
It is too expensive.
Yes, Leao is a very good attacker who is only 22, but he is not among the ‘elite’ players yet and is simply not worth £127.5 million.
The Milan no. 17 plays as a left-winger or left-sided forward and helped Milan win the Scudetto this season.
Leao scored 11 goals and gave eight assists in 31 Serie A starts this season.
The 22-year-old also scored one goal and provided one assist in four Champions League matches for the Rossoneri this campaign.
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