Aston Villa have reportedly made contact with AC Milan over the possibility of signing forward Rafael Leao.
The 27-year-old joined the Rossoneri from Lille in 2019, and has since gone on to score 80 goals and provide 65 assists in 291 appearances for the club.
At his best, he has proven to be a deadly option in the final third with his pace and quality in front of goal both through his creativity and eye for goal, but over the course of his time in Italy he has struggled for form and confidence too.
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Nevertheless, with his time at Milan seemingly coming to an end this summer, Antonio Vitiello reports that Villa and Milan have opened initial talks over a transfer for the Portuguese international, and although there are no offers as of yet, discussions are in the early phase and are ongoing.
It’s added that Galatasaray are also interested in Leao and so we may well face competition if he has indeed emerged a priority transfer target, but time will tell if a deal can be agreed with the Italian giants.
Villa are now expected to bolster our attacking options prior to the transfer window deadline, with speculation intensifying over the future of Ollie Watkins after he was left out of our matchday squad against Brighton this past weekend.
The Villa frontman is said to have already agreed on personal terms with Al Hilal and it now comes down to the two clubs reaching an agreement on a transfer fee, with negotiations ongoing as Villa are said to have rejected offers already that were deemed below his valuation.
Should that exit materialise, there is no doubt that we must bring in a replacement, and while other names have been paired with the club, most notably Chelsea ace Nicolas Jackson in recent weeks, Leao is seemingly now in the mix too as we await further updates on whether or not talks between the two clubs are moving in the right direction.