Ousted Milan Star Picks Galatasaray over Aston Villa | OneFootball

Galatasaray and Aston Villa battled for Rafael Leao as of late, and the former prevailed, thanks mostly to their significantly higher offer on personal terms, €10M plus €2M add-ons against €7.5M. Instead, Milan will pocket around €45M and a 20 percent sell-on clause. The attacker has made his choice. The deal is in its final stages, Sky reports.

The Rossoneri accompanied their star out the door throughout the summer. However, they stopped short of freezing him out, as they instead did with a few other players. They were looking to cash in an adequate sum from his departure.

Leao is leaving Milan after seven up-and-down seasons, leading the team to one Scudetto but also often coming under fire for his inconsistency and occasionally lackluster attitude. He racked up 80 goals and 65 assists in 291 matches at San Siro. He also contributed to one Supercoppa Italiana triumph.

The Rossoneri spent nearly €50M to acquire him from Lille. They shelled out a significant figure a few years after his transfer to help him settle a legal dispute stemming from his messy exit from Sporting CP, which was worked into his most recent renewal. His contract would have expired in 2028.

Our Take on Milan, Leao, and Galatasaray

They could have handled his exit better and perhaps made the call a year ago, but they’ll receive a pretty healthy package anyway. It’s hard to fault him for the choice, as the gap between the two proposals is significant, and Turkey is a cozy destination nowadays. Still, he’s not too old, and, if he had a couple of good seasons, he could have still made the jump to a Premier League powerhouse as he originally desired.