Rafael Leao, an AC Milan player who has been linked to a transfer to the Premier League, has spoken out on a potential move to England.
The 23-year-old Portuguese player has been connected to Todd Boehly’s lavish Chelsea squad.
Leao also revealed in an interview that he “doesn’t like the weather” in England before making fun of how easy it is to play in Italy as Milan keep up their pursuit of a top-two finish.
A number of elite clubs are considering making a summer move for the gifted attacker.
He introduced himself in the YouTube interview by saying: “Serie A is very easy, yes it seems… Before reaching Serie A I was in France, where the first year was difficult. They came in hard.”
“But when you’re skilled, when you’re faster, you can create and make a difference. The second year was much better and I grew a lot. I have to show the world what I can do on and off the pitch.”
And he said, prior to the Rossoneri’s second leg against Tottenham in the last-16 Champions League match in London: “I don’t like the weather there. I went shopping the first time I went to London.”
Leao proceeded by listing his favorite aspects of living in Milan, including the Duomo barbershop, the retail malls, the nightclubs, and the cuisine.
The 16-cap international has 36 goals in 147 games in his four and a half years at the San Siro after joining from French club Lille. This season, he has nine goals in 32 appearances across all competitions.
On Saturday, Stefano Pioli’s team will go to Fiorentina after defeating Atalanta 2-0 on Sunday to move up to third place in Serie A, level on points with rival Inter Milan in second.
Rafael Leao
Rafael Alexandre da Conceiço Leao, a forward for Serie A team AC Milan and the Portugal national team, was born on June 10, 1999, in Portugal.
He is recognized as one of the top players in the world because of his skill and technical prowess.
Leao made his first-team debut in 2018, after graduating from Sporting CP’s development system, and went on to win the 2017–18 Taça da Liga. However, after an incident within the club, he unilaterally terminated his contract.
He soon signed on as a free agent with Lille in Ligue 1. He joined AC Milan in 2019 for an alleged sum of €35 million.
He assisted the team in winning the 2021–22 Serie A, ending the club’s 11–year title drought, in his third season with the organization. In addition, he received votes for Serie A’s Most Valuable Player and made the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Leao, who has represented Portugal at several juvenile levels and was a member of the under-17 squad that won the 2016 European Championship, is a former young international for Portugal. In 2021, he made his senior international debut.
Was Chelsea Ever Linked With Leao?
When Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sidelined or Giroud wasn’t performing at his peak, the Portuguese forward emerged as Milan’s go-to man. Leao stepped up, scoring or assisting in the final six games of the previous season.
Leao has developed into one of the most difficult opponents for any defense in the league as a result of his upward trajectory over the course of this season. How can a 6’1″ winger who is swift, physically strong, agile, and able to turn in any direction be stopped?
Leao was rumored to have wanted leaving Milan both last summer and this winter.
In the last hours of the summer transfer season, Chelsea reportedly made a sizable offer for Leao, but Milan rejected the deal since it was too late to find a replacement.
Even still, when both teams were placed in the same Champions League group in October 2022, the Chelsea rumors didn’t go away and actually got worse.
