Real Madrid and PSG will reportedly intensify their efforts in the upcoming January transfer window to sign AC Milan attacker Rafael Leao, who has also been linked with Liverpool in recent weeks.
According to Le 10 Sport, the European powerhouses have been impressed with what they have seen from Leao at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the 23-year-old one of Portugal’s standout players in Qatar as the 2016 Euro champions look to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition this week.
As well as starring for Portugal, Leao has been one of Milan’s best players over the last 12 months, with the forward playing a huge role last season in the Rossoneri’s Serie A-title win, the first the Italian giants have won in well over a decade.
Now, though, Milan are focussing on keeping Leao at the club, with the San Siro side worried that a club could activate the winger’s reported £105m release clause in the January transfer window. And interest is only increasing for the Portuguese star.
La Repubblica reported earlier in the year that Liverpool were chasing Leao. Yet with Madrid and PSG now looking to increase their efforts in signing the attacker, Jurgen Klopp could soon find himself out of his depth in trying to bring the Portuguese superstar to Anfield.
Moreover, with Liverpool’s attack quite stacked and the Reds finding the back of the net on a regular basis in the Premier League, signing Leao when there are more urgent matters in the squad would be a better use of the club’s limited finances in the January window.
Liverpool missing out on Real Madrid & PSG target Leao will be no major loss
Lauded by Joe Cole as a ‘firework’ of an attacker, Leao’s stock has risen considerably over the World Cup despite not playing that many minutes for Portugal. Yet for Liverpool, missing out on the winger will be no real loss considering how much work is needed in other areas of the squad.
Indeed, central midfield is proving to be the key problem area for Liverpool ahead of the second half of the season. And with the January window soon approaching, Klopp knows that signing competition for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho is much more important that going big on a player like Leao.
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