It was supposed to be the season of definitive consecration and the step up in quality that everyone had been expecting from him for years. Instead, the campaign that is about to end could be Rafael Leao’s last sporting season with Milan. This was reported this morning by 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', which explains that the Portuguese player is no longer considered untouchable and that, in the summer, the Rossoneri club will not only evaluate but will also try to encourage potential transfer offers.
The World Cup that Milan’s number 10 will play with Portugal could be the perfect stage for him to showcase himself and attract new buyers. Although his contract contains a €175 million release clause, Milan’s valuation is reportedly around €50–60 million.
Leao is coming off several very disappointing performances as a starter and, for this reason, he risks being benched on Sunday against Atalanta BC. Behind this possible decision by Massimiliano Allegri, who publicly continues to defend his player, are not technical mistakes or missed goals, but rather a lack of competitive intensity. At this decisive moment of the season, which unfortunately also coincides with the darkest crisis Milan has experienced during this campaign, everyone is required to make an extra sacrifice, and Rafa has failed too many times to prove himself to be a true team player.
After the defeat against Sassuolo, which seriously complicated qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League, Allegri appealed to everyone’s sense of responsibility, confirming that he intends to rely on players who guarantee commitment. The Portuguese player still has a few days to convince him to hand him a starting shirt once again, but, as the newspaper wrote this morning, in terms of work rate and team play he starts one step behind Christian Pulisic and Pulisic Gimenez.
Could Leao leave AC Milan in the 2026 summer?
The three matches remaining before the end of this league season could be Leao’s last in a Milan shirt, after which the two parties will proceed towards a separation that increasingly appears inevitable.
