‘Arsenal in the lead’ – Player liked ‘by half the PL’, but it’s Gunners who are pushed out in front

As Italian outlet La Repubblica today analyses a few situations within AC Milan’s squad, they take a paragraph to talk about Rafael Leão.

The 22-year-old is now labelled as ‘irreplaceable’ for the Serie A giants, due to the big importance he’s been gaining with ‘decisive few games’ for the club.

That of course draws the attention of foreign sides, and according to the story, ‘Arsenal are in the lead’ for his signing, although there’s no explanation why.

La Repubblica writes that Leão is liked by ‘half of the Premier League’, but it’s really the Gunners who’ve been showing the strongest interest in signing the midfielder.

Milan obviously do not want to lose the player, and that’s why a contract renewal is on the horizon. It’s said the Rossoneri want to ‘lock down’ Leão for ‘as long as possible’, as his current deal expires in 2024.

Since the Italian side have other pending issues before that, including a new deal for Ismael Bennacer, this is probably a good time for Arsenal to make their move before the Portuguese star is convinced to stay at the San Siro.