At Flamengo? Rafael Leão names Rio favourite: “There’s only one” | OneFootball

Rafael Leão currently plays for AC Milan (ITA)

Forward Rafael Leão stirred up the football world this Thursday (23) by saying he would play in Brazil and that, if he were to play in Rio de Janeiro, he would choose only one club. The revelation came during an appearance on the ‘PodPah’ podcast on YouTube, where the Milan (ITA) and Portugal national team player avoided mentioning Flamengo by name.

Although he left out Mengão’s name during the interview, Rafael Leão’s preference has never really been a secret to the public. After all, the Portuguese player has posted several times on social media wearing the red-and-black shirt during vacation periods.

The player explained in detail why he made that choice during the conversation and highlighted his affection for the ‘Marvelous City.’ The winger sealed his stance by stating categorically: “And in Rio there’s only one (club I’d like to play for), in Rio there’s only one.”

In addition, the player commented on a recent visit to Corinthians’ facilities, when host Mítico, a fan of the black-and-white club, teased him with a direct question: “Don’t get our hopes up, if you were playing in Brazil, for Corinthians, is there something you can’t tell us, or something you wanted to tell us?” Right after that, the Milan forward ruled out playing in São Paulo because of the colder weather.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR RAFAEL LEÃO?

While the desire to play in Brazil remains only on the horizon, Rafael Leão’s career is going through a period of uncertainty behind the scenes in European football. According to the newspaper ‘Corriere dello Sport,’ Fenerbahçe (TUR) is stepping up negotiations to sign Leão.

The Turkish offer is around 10 million euros (about R$ 58 million at the current exchange rate) per season, surpassing the spending of archrival Galatasaray (TUR). Despite this financial pressure coming from Turkey, the forward remains cautious and prefers to calmly assess all available options.

Meanwhile, Premier League and La Liga clubs are monitoring the situation from a distance. However, no club has submitted any concrete offers.

Milan, in turn, is waiting for official proposals and is planning the player’s return for preseason in Australia. Before taking on new commitments, the winger had expressed a desire for new challenges in his career.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.