Paolo Maldini has stated that AC Milan are confident of renewing the contract of Rafael Leao, who wants to remain at the club.
Leao is at the centre of a complicated negotiation for the renewal of the contract expiring in 2024, with Premier League duo Chelsea and Manchester City topping the list of clubs who want to sign him according to a recent report from Calciomercato.com.
That leaves Milan with an interesting crossroads that they must tackle: the management need to either pay the winger what he is asking for as the Serie A MVP or accept that he must be sold in the next couple of windows to avoid losing him for free.
Maldini spoke during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport and he discussed the future of Leao, revealing optimism that the Rossoneri can strike a deal with him and his entourage, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“Leao has a difficult situation deriving from the move to Lille, this is affecting him a lot and has meant that our interlocutors have often changed. Rafa, however, is grateful to us and I am interested in what he tells us,” he said.
“Rafa understands that his path in the next few years must be at Milan, he understands it and tells us. Then there will be a negotiation but we know that strong players must be paid for their value.
“If the team grows further, Leao will have everything for To compete to the maximum. Then of course, there are no non-transferable players for all the teams in the world. If we can say that there is a good chance of finding an agreement with him and Sporting? Yes, with him yes.”
