Player set to snub ‘flattery’ from Chelsea – Blues held London meeting for big signing

A week ago, A Bola stated Sporting chief Frederico Varandas held a meeting with Chelsea in London for Rafael Leão.

The forward is currently at AC Milan, but the Lions are still owed compensation following the unilateral termination of his contract after the invasion of the club’s academy in 2018.

Leão’s deal at the San Siro expires in 2024. Gazzetta dello Sport now provides an update on his renewal and the approaches made by Chelsea and other clubs.

The Portugal international is set to continue with the Serie A side despite the ‘flattery’ from the Blues and Real Madrid. It’s claimed he’s ready to sign a five-year deal with the Rossoneri and the agreement with Sporting is also much closer.

Milan had a meeting with the Lions on Thursday and almost found an agreement, before the negotiations had to be reopened again. The talks between the two clubs have been postponed until next week, with a ‘hope of reaching a total agreement’.

This is to do with the compensation the Portuguese club are set to receive for his decision to unilaterally terminate his contract in 2018. Milan took Leão from Lille in 2019, a year after he joined them.

Gazzetta state Lille have also agreed to compensate Sporting, which would come to around €22m.

Milan would only be able to tie their star to a new deal once the knot with Sporting is resolved. Despite the latest setback, there’s optimism a resolution could be found as soon as possible.

If this is sorted out, Leão can sign a new five-year deal worth €7m net plus bonuses.

This would also move the player away from Chelsea, who have been chasing him since last summer.