Rafael Leao awaits Arsenal approach, Gunners handed chance | OneFootball

As reported by Milan News, via La Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal have been offered the opportunity to sign Milan forward Rafael Leão.

The Rossoneri forwards have been under the cosh through the second half of the season, and the scrutiny has got only worse since their tumble snowballed into dropping out of the top four in Serie A on the final day of the season.

Rafa Leão, once Milan’s golden boy, has faced criticism more than his peers due to his celebrity, but his profiles and past exploits make him that much more likely to find a decent landing spot this summer.

Enter Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, fresh from winning the Premier League and finishing runners-up in the Champions League, are expected to be in the market for a left-sided forward and have been linked with the 26-year-old, who has also made it clear he wants to leave San Siro in the off-season.

No concrete approach has been made by the Gunners for the Portugal international, who has already rejected a €10m salary from Galatasaray. He is awaiting Arsenal’s final decision before possibly considering a switch to Turkey.

Arsenal don’t need to get Leão, though it makes sense why they’d want to

Even though Arsenal are entering the market from a position of strength, there were clear chinks in their armour that almost led to them not winning the league once again.

Their issues in attack were laid bare once again during the Champions League final, as progressing the ball from the middle to the final third proved difficult for them in the face of a robust PSG defence.

One could argue that Arsenal need creators more than converters, players who can emphatically help the team make more chances from open play. A player who could do both would be ideal, of course, and while a prime Rafa Leão would have fit the bill, we are not looking at a Leão in his prime.

Nevertheless, at a price tag of €50 million, Leão is way too close to being the kind of project player Arteta would like to work on and cultivate in his own image. Moving to the Emirates may make sense for Leão if a move materialises late in the window, but only once Arsenal have brought in creative operators who can hit the ground running and don’t require as much effort as Leão would.

Anshuman Joshi | GIFN