MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Rafael Leao of AC Milan looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Siro on September 17, 2024 in Milan, Italy.

Barcelona remain vigilant as a crucial night at Santiago Bernabeu awaits €75m AC Milan player

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

In the last summer transfer window, one of the areas that FC Barcelona wanted to strengthen was that of the left wing. The Catalans pursued the Athletic Club winger Nico Williams for this purpose but ultimately failed to land him.

But this failure has not really impacted them, as Raphinha has stepped up his game this season, and is playing at a very high level. Still, the Blaugranes are looking at some candidates to reinforce this position in the next transfer windows, and one of the players they have been linked with for this purpose is the AC Milan winger, Rafael Leao.

The Portuguese winger has not gotten along well with his new coach, Paulo Fonseca, and is no longer a starter for this AC Milan side. Despite being the team’s top earner, he has been a substitute in the last three Serie A games.

However, his coach has already revealed that he will start tonight’s highly anticipated game against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, and as SPORT has noted, this game can turn out to be a factor in determining the winger’s future.

If he is able to impress in this game, he might get more chances going forward to make a place for himself in Fonseca’s starting eleven.

However, if he is unable to take advantage of this opportunity, Milan will be more open to parting ways with him. Furthermore, the latter scenario can also lead to a further decrease in his valuation, which has already decreased from €90 million to €75 million.

Thus, Barcelona, and other interested clubs, will be keeping a close eye on him in this game. Although his inconsistency has been a weakness in Leao’s game, this season has been particularly bad for the Portuguese international as he has scored only 1 goal up to now, and that too came on the last day of August.

Tags Rafael Leao