Fenerbahce submit bid for Aston Villa target Rafael Leao | OneFootball

Aston Villa are facing a serious battle in the race to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta, Turkish giants Fenerbahce have leapfrogged Villa and are now considered frontrunners to sign Leao after tabling a significant bid.

Villa are on the market for a winger to replace Morgan Rogers, who recently completed a British record £117 million move to Chelsea, and Leao is one of several names under consideration.

The Portuguese international is expected to leave Milan this summer, but Villa aren’t the only club keeping tabs on his situation.

Their reluctance to act on their interest could now come back to bite them, with Fenerbahce seriously pushing to beat Villa to the signing of the Portuguese winger.

Rather than considering an initial loan deal, the Turkish giants are looking to strike a permanent deal.

They are reportedly willing to offer Milan an initial €40m (£34m) for the 27-year-old, with performance-related bonuses potentially taking the total value of the transfer to €50m (£43m).

Fenerbahce are simultaneously hoping to reach an agreement with Leao on personal terms. They have reportedly offered him a five-year contract worth a guaranteed €8m (£7m) per season.

On top of that, he could earn an additional €1.5m (£1.2m) if he makes more than 20 appearances in a season, another €1.5m if he scores at least 15 goals, and a further €1m (£854k) if Fenerbahce win the Turkish Super Lig.

Leao still has two years left on his contract with Milan but has been heavily linked with a move away from San Siro Stadium for months.

He’s coming off an underwhelming campaign where he managed 10 goals and three assists in 31 games across all competitions, which is poor by his high standards.

However, there’s no doubt that Leao can be a game-changer when he performs at a high level.

Villa will have to beat Fenerbahce’s proposal to lure Leao to Birmingham, although he has repeatedly been linked with a move to the Premier League.

At the moment, Unai Emery’s side are focusing on other targets, including Chelsea duo Alejandro Garnacho and Nicolas Jackson.