AC Milan's Firm Stance on Rafael Leao Amid Fenerbahce Interest
AC Milan have flown to the other side of the world, but the biggest question around their tour is the one that refuses to stay grounded in Europe: what happens next with Rafael Leao?
The Rossoneri touched down in Perth, Western Australia, to begin the second phase of their pre-season, with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Perth Glory on the agenda. Leao is due to link up with the squad in Australia after his World Cup duties, stepping straight into a storm of speculation.
Fenerbahce push, Milan resist
Fenerbahce have moved from admiration to action. According to Sport Mediaset, the Turkish club have tabled an official offer for the forward and even dispatched director Cihan Kamer to Italy to work on a deal face to face.
Their proposal is creative, and clearly designed to tempt: a package worth up to €42 million, built around an initial €5m loan fee, a €35m obligation to buy next summer and €2m in bonuses tied to performance.
Milan’s answer is blunt. They want €50m, cash, and now. No loans, no staggered obligation, no complicated structures. Just a permanent sale or nothing.
It is a stance they have already made clear to Galatasaray and Benfica. Anyone who wants Leao knows the price and the format. Take it or leave it.
Amorim’s message: the team comes first
Into this walks Amorim, fronting up in Perth with the cameras rolling and the questions predictable. The coach did not flinch.
“He is our player until anything changes, the team comes first,” he said, as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio. “It is not too complicated, for me the team is the most important thing.
“I will speak with Rafael, with [Goncalo] Ramos, with [Alexis] Saelemaekers, with all the players returning from the World Cup to explain what we will do. I know there is a lot of speculation about some of our players, but they remain ours until anything changes.”
The message is clear: no individual saga will be allowed to dominate a dressing room that is still being built.
A market squeezed by Milan’s own ambition
Milan’s rigidity is not just pride. It is planning.
The club have already pushed past the €100m mark in this window to bring in Goncalo Ramos and Mario Gila, aggressive moves that underline their intent to reshape the squad quickly. That spending now forces their hand. To keep investing, they need a major sale.
Leao is the obvious candidate. Young, explosive, and with suitors willing to pay both a fee and a salary that reflect his status.
Reports suggest Fenerbahce are ready to offer him a contract worth €12m per season in Turkey, roughly double what he currently earns at San Siro. For a player in his prime, that is the kind of figure that makes any conversation serious.
So while he boards a plane to Australia, the door back to Europe may not lead to Milanello for long.
Tour business on the pitch, transfer business off it
For now, Amorim has a team to tune. Milan will meet Perth Glory on Saturday, a fitness-building exercise wrapped in a global-brand tour, but also a chance for the coach to impose his ideas away from the daily noise of the Italian market.
Behind the scenes, the talks with Fenerbahce are expected to rumble on over the coming days. The structure of the deal, the gap between €42m and €50m, the non-negotiable refusal of a loan: all of it sits on the table, waiting for one side to blink.
Leao will arrive in Australia as a Milan player. The real question is whether he will still be one by the time this window slams shut.
