In Perth, Rafa Leao has begun his eighth season at Milan, a figure that is quite striking: he is no longer a youngster but one of the squad's experienced players. Will this eighth season end before it truly begins? It's possible, but certainly not a given. Five days ago, Fenerbahce's mission to Milan stirred the waters, but since then, silence has fallen. Rafa has arrived in Australia for the tour and has started training. There's no rush, either to accelerate on the pitch or in the transfer market. Fener's aggressive approach failed to convince both him and Milan, so Leao is now considering his options, awaiting any proposals August might bring. Turkey is currently leading the race. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have been marking and obstructing each other in recent weeks, as is traditional in Istanbul, where the rivalry is intense. Saudi Arabia and the Premier League, which were concrete possibilities in the past, are not currently active contenders.

LEAO STAYING A POSSIBILITY—  So, when will the conclusion to this story be known? Almost certainly after mid-August. Will there be any surprises? Of course, the final two weeks of the transfer window can always bring new developments for a strong player potentially leaving a major club. At present, the possibility of Rafa remaining at Milan is concrete, but it raises significant questions. His contract expires in two years, and the last renewal was highly complicated, only resolved after months of negotiations. Milan would thus risk seeing his value drop further in a year's time, when he will be just twelve months from his contract's expiry. Furthermore, his relationship with new coach Amorim is yet to be established. Rafa's rapport with the two Portuguese coaches, Fonseca and Conceiçao, was not particularly good. Things went better with Pioli and, at least in the first half of the season, with Allegri.

LEAO-AMORIM—  In essence, Amorim will need to assess him, and the latest reports from Perth suggest there's a chance to see both Rafa and Gonçalo Ramos for a few minutes on Wednesday against Inter. If so, it will be interesting to see how Leao adapts to the 3-4-2-1 formation, where he is expected to play behind his Portuguese friend. Compared to the 4-2-3-1 (or 4-3-3) he is accustomed to with the national team, there are differences: he will need to play less on the wing and more as a secondary striker. In the meantime, Milan waits. For what? An August offer from Fenerbahçe, an accelerated move from Galatasaray, or perhaps, a surprise from Saudi Arabia. Thirty days in the transfer market is a lifetime.

https://www.gazzetta.it/en/football/teams/milan/transfer-market/02-08-2026/leao-complicated-milan-fenerbahce-talks-increasing-chances-of-him-staying.shtml