Player’s growth has made Manchester City a ‘fan’ – Club risk losing insurance over release clause

Manchester City had their eyes on Rafael Leão even before they added Erling Haaland and Julián Álvarez to their squad this season.

Earlier reports indicated that Pep Guardiola has long been an admirer of the AC Milan star.

It looks like Manchester City continue to have the forward on their agenda.

The Portugal international’s deal expires in 2024 and Paolo Maldini has stressed the Serie A winners are looking to tie down his long-term future before the World Cup.

Calciomercato have a report detailing his contract situation and his suitors. Manchester City get a mention as the 23-year-old’s growth at Milan has seen the Premier League side become a ‘fan’. He has four goals and seven assists from 12 matches this season.

The player has a €150m release clause and it served as insurance for the Rossoneri in the last window. They face the risk of losing this insurance if they let him enter the final year of his contract next summer.

Leão earns €1.5m per year and Jorge Mendes has requested this to be improved to €7m. Through fixed salary and bonuses, Milan’s desire is to come close to meeting this figure.

At the same time, the super-agent is trying to obtain a €20-30m reduction in his clause. This would allow his client to attract concrete interest from other clubs, while Milan can earn a hefty sum in case of Leão’s departure.

With Manchester City one of the clubs in picture to sign the attacker, it needs to be seen whether Milan can convince Leão to sign a new deal at the San Siro.