GdS: The 'all-Portuguese manoeuvre' Mendes is attempting involving Leao and Chelsea
SempreMilan · Oliver Fisher · 2026-08-18T13:03:42+00:00 · nguồn gốc
AC Milan are still trying to offload Rafael Leao, and Chelsea have emerged as a potential destination once again.
Milan have agreed a €50m deal (plus bonuses) with Strasbourg for wing-back Diego Moreira, which will take summer spending north of €150m. So, with less than a fortnight of the window left, there is now added pressure to generate some funds from sales.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport report that the Leao issue is ‘a tangled affair complicated by the competing interests of various agents and intermediaries’. There were even talks with Roma regarding the winger, though nothing came of them.
Leao is still waiting for an opening in the Premier League while keeping Galatasaray fans in a state of suspense. The 27-year-old might meet with Cardinale this week (the RedBird chief is expected back in Italy on Thursday) but either way does not figure in Amorim’s plans.
However, the Turkish club have yet to raise the €35m offer (including bonuses) submitted via a well-known intermediary, which Milan previously rejected. The Rossoneri are now willing to drop their asking price to €40–45m, yet Galatasaray are stalling, perhaps believing they hold the upper hand.
It is a risky strategy, as another agent is simultaneously attempting an ambitious, all-Portuguese manoeuvre: sending Leao to Chelsea to replace his international team-mate Pedro Neto, who is being courted by Al-Hilal and Manchester City.
Will it work? Time is running out, and both Leao and Milan are waiting. And who knows, Saudi Arabia might just come back into the picture.