Galatasaray bid puts Aston Villa on alert as Rafael Leao future hangs in balance

AC Milan have accepted a €45 million (£38.5m) package from Galatasaray for Rafael Leao, but the Portugal forward is yet to decide whether to leave Italy this summer.

Galatasaray have reportedly offered the 27-year-old an annual net salary of between €10 million and €12 million as they attempt to lure him to Turkey.

However, Aston Villa remain firmly in the race, with the Premier League club continuing discussions over a potential move for the former Lille star.

Villa are yet to submit a firm offer but are understood to be exploring a loan deal with an obligation to buy, while Milan would prefer to secure a permanent transfer this summer.

High-profile agent Jorge Mendes is leading efforts to find Leao a new club, with his future increasingly becoming one of the major transfer stories of the summer.

Villa believe Leao wants Premier League move

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Villa had opened talks over Leao and believe the Portuguese attacker would prefer a move to England this summer.

Villa’s interest comes despite their agreement on Wednesday of a deal worth up to £65 million for Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea.

Unai Emery’s side are still looking to strengthen their attack following Ollie Watkins’ impending £50 million transfer to Al Hilal, while several other significant changes have been made to the squad.

Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne have all departed, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s future remains uncertain.

Watkins and Martinez were absent from Villa’s opening-day 4-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, with Watkins subsequently apologising to his team-mates for missing the match.

Leao enters crucial stage of career

Leao made 31 appearances in all competitions for Milan last season, scoring 10 goals as the club finished fifth in Serie A and secured Europa League football.

Although primarily a left winger, he was deployed mainly as a striker under former Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. Allegri has since been replaced by Leao’s compatriot Ruben Amorim.

The forward also featured in all five of Portugal’s matches at this summer’s World Cup, scoring once and providing one assist before they were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.

Leao began his career at Sporting CP, making his senior debut in February 2018 before joining Lille on a free transfer later that year.

After helping Lille finish second in Ligue 1, he moved to Milan in August 2019 and has since established himself as one of the club’s most influential attacking players.

He has made 291 appearances across seven seasons in Italy, registering 80 goals and 61 assists.

Villa have already added six players to Emery’s first-team squad, with Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi arriving permanently, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alejandro Garnacho have joined on loan.

With Milan favouring a permanent sale and Galatasaray already having an accepted package on the table, Villa now face a decisive battle to convince Leao to choose the Premier League.