Milan could sell Leao for €100m less than release clause but options remain limited | OneFootball

Rafael Leao has expressed his intentions to leave Milan at some stage in the near future, but the Rossoneri may find it difficult to find a willing buyer for the Portugal international, even if they are willing to cut over €100m off the player’s release clause.

Limited suitors for Leao, Milan value plummeting

Leao’s time in San Siro appears to be coming to an end after seven seasons, and the 26-year-old has recently given a bombshell interview on Portuguese TV claiming: “I think I’ve already given everything I have in Milan. I think that everyone has dreams, ambitions, challenges to face. I aspire to have a new challenge in a new league. And if that were to happen, I’d be very happy.”

Leao and his Milan teammates missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the Serie A season, despite spending much of the campaign in second place, and newspapers in Italy suggest that the time may be right for the Rossoneri to cut ties with the 2021-22 Scudetto winner.

Leao is under contract with Milan until the summer of 2028, having penned a five-year extension in the summer of 2023. That deal included a staggering €175m release clause in order to fend off interest from some of the world’s most prestigious clubs.

However, if Milan are to sell Leao this summer, the latest reports indicate that they will have to cut more than €100m off his release clause, more realistically to a price in the region of €50m-€60m.

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 24: Rafael Leao of AC Milan looks on from the substitutes bench prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Cagliari Calcio at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 24, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Calciomercato.com warns that those figures may have reduced even further after Leao’s recent interview, as clubs across the world are now fully aware of the player’s desire to leave.

Still, finding a suitable buyer may be a challenging issue for the Rossoneri. Calciomercato claims that there is interest in the former Serie A MVP from several Premier League sides, including the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or even Newcastle or Tottenham, but there have been no concrete proposals thus far.

Barcelona have previously been linked with a move for Leao, but their recent deal for England international Anthony Gordon rules out a move for the Portuguese this summer. Bayern Munich are also unlikely to make a move for Leao according to Sunday’s report.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 26: Rafael Leao of AC Milan warms up prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

As things stand, the most genuine interest comes from Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, but recent reports claim that the player himself is uninterested in a move to Turkiye at this stage of his career. The same also goes for Simone Inzaghi’s Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.