Barcelona target Rafael Leao declared ‘not for sale’ by Milan

News has emerged over the last couple of days of Barcelona making AC Milan’s Rafael Leao a priority target. With less than two weeks remaining in the transfer window, Barca were reportedly hoping that a bid in the region of €90m plus a couple of their unwanted players in exchange could do the trick.

Barcelona had earlier pursued Athletic Club’s Nico Williams for that spot on the left wing. That saga went on for a couple of months, before the Spanish winger took over the number #10 jersey for his club, effectively declaring his intention to stay in Bilbao for at least this season.

According to journalist Adrian Sanchez however, Milan has clearly stated that the Portuguese forward is not for sale. This is not at all surprising given that Leao is their star player and had a mammoth €170 million release clause which expired in June. It would also be impossible for them to replace that much quality with the window nearing completion.

Leao is a superstar tier footballer – he’s an outstanding mix of trickery, end product and physicality. Leao has over a 100 goal contributions for Milan in 211 games and there is always the feeling that he could establish himself as one of the best in the world with a stronger side.

Barcelona will now have to shift their target, with the clock ticking. They clearly seek an upgrade their left wingers Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres. In the last few days, they have also been linked with names such as Kingsley Coman, Federico Chiesa, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford.