Romano reveals ‘only way’ Man Utd will sign Rafa Leao this summer after ‘concrete calls’ over transfer | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has revealed the “only way” Rafael Leao will sign for Manchester United or Arsenal this summer after the winger announced his desire to leave AC Milan.

Leao has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time and has now issued a come-and-get-me plea as he wants a “new challenge” to suit his “style of football”.

“I need a new challenge. I already won two trophies in Italy and have been there for a while,” Leao told Portuguese news outlet Sport TV on Friday as he prepares for the World Cup with Portugal.

“The league is evolving, but for my style of football, I think the Premier League or La Liga would make more of my talent, as a player.”

He added: “If a Premier League opportunity were to come along, I would be very happy. I think that I can put my talent up against the players there, who are of a very high level. Playing in that kind of a league really gets the best out of a player.”

There are widespread reports that his announcement has alerted Man Utd to the situation with Leao previously revealing that he “likes” the Red Devils because of compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Old Trafford.

Leao said in the past: “Yeah of course I like (Manchester) United because my idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, so back then, I used to watch them. I like Arsenal also.”

TEAMtalk insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed on May 1 that ‘been offered to a number of top Premier League clubs, including Manchester United’.

Milan, for their part, want to tie him down to a new contract but Bailey insisted that sources have revealed that the Italian club are likely to be open to a deal worth €50m in the summer.

The report at the time added: ‘TEAMtalk can confirm that Man Utd are among the clubs approached. The Old Trafford outfit have carried out extensive work on Leao in the past and remain aware of his profile, though their interest has not yet progressed beyond initial checks at this stage.

‘Further approaches have also been made to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. All three clubs have tracked Leao previously and continue to hold an appreciation for his qualities.’

‘Love for Man Utd’

And now Romano has revealed the ‘only way’ United or Arsenal could be tempted into a move for the 26-year-old

He told time2play: ‘One player you absolutely need to keep your eyes on is Rafael Leão. The Portuguese winger has essentially announced to the entire world that he wants out, viewing his cycle at AC Milan as completely over. Those close to Rafa are stunned by the timing; he took it upon himself to give not one, but two public interviews to make his stance crystal clear, despite not having any imminent agreement or contract ready with another club.

‘In normal transfer dynamics, a player only burns bridges publicly like this if a deal with a new team is already locked in. Instead, Leão is going completely all-in on a personal choice, without any advisors pulling the strings behind his back. He simply believes that the conditions to succeed at Milan no longer exist. He wants out, period.

‘So far, the only concrete calls have come from Turkey: timid inquiries, though the financial figures mentioned are still substantial. However, Leão’s dream is the Premier League or La Liga. He has never hidden his love for Manchester United and Arsenal. But after a disappointing club season, the only way to re-ignite interest from those elite leagues is to drop a masterclass World Cup performance alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. His future remains completely up in the air and will also depend on Milan, who are currently sorting out their own management and managerial future.’