Manchester City are reportedly plotting a move for AC Milan and Portugal star Rafael Leao in January, and the winger could be a big upgrade on Jack Grealish in Pep Guardiola’s side.
According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Leao doesn’t want to extend his contract at the San Siro beyond 2024, which has alerted City, Chelsea and Real Madrid to his availability.
However, despite his contract situation in Italy, Milan are still set to demand around €150m (£130m) for his services, which would represent a huge deal for the Citizens.
It is no surprise that the Rossoneri want such a large sum for the 23-year-old, given how highly he is regarded at the San Siro, with legendary forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic amongst his fans.
The Swedish icon said of Leao: “At Milan he has confidence, space and freedom, which is not a given at another club, it’s up to you. Besides, you can see that he is happy here, by now he is laughing even before scoring. He is the young man who has grown the most.
“Theo has improved so much, De Ketelaere is strong, and patience is needed. But Leao is on another level, above average. He lacks a step, he will only do it when he is fully convinced of his abilities.
“Today even he doesn’t really know how strong he is. Then he will be really scary. And the price will go up.”
Considering that the Premier League champions spent £100m to sign Grealish in 2021 and he has struggled for consistent form at the Etihad Stadium so far, managing just seven goals and four assists in 55 appearances for the club, he would likely be the one to leave should Leao arrive from Milan.
By comparison, the Portugal winger has contributed seven goals and six assists in just 20 appearances for the Rossoneri in Serie A and the Champions League so far this term, averaging an impressive 7.12 rating from WhoScored for his performances in Italy’s top flight.
Grealish, who is four years Leao’s senior, has a 7.10 average rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League, despite managing just one goal and zero assists in eight appearances.
The Portuguese winger also has the edge when comparing shots (3.6 vs 0.9) and dribbles per game (1.7 vs 1.5) so far this season, which suggests that he could be a big upgrade in Guardiola’s side.
Leao has also been something of a supersub for Portugal at the World Cup, scoring twice (including a crucial late goal against Ghana) despite relying purely on 83 minutes’ worth of substitute appearances in Qatar, as per WhoScored.
Therefore, if Leao does arrive at the Etihad in 2023, it would not be a surprise to see City cut their losses on Grealish and offload to make room for the AC Milan sensation.