Milan issue update on future of Man Utd & Chelsea-linked Leao as transfer talk rages around Portugal forward

• Portuguese forward starring in Italy
• Contract due to expire in 2024
• Monitored by teams in England

WHAT HAPPENED? The Portugal international forward has seen his stock soar since playing a leading role in the Rossoneri’s Serie A title triumph last season. Having hit 14 goals in 2021-22 and a further seven during the current campaign, the highly-rated 23-year-old is said to be registering on recruitment radars at Manchester United and Chelsea.

WHAT THEY SAID: Milan, though, are eager to thrash out fresh terms with Leao and have charged club legend Paolo Maldini with the task of getting an agreement over the line. Rossoneri president Paolo Scaroni has told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked for an update on those discussions: “They tell me that in Milan he is very well off, that he is motivated. I know that Maldini is negotiating with him and as far as I just said if he negotiates, I’m calm.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Leao’s current deal at San Siro is due to expire in 2024, leading to suggestions that he could be offloaded next summer as Milan are forced to sell while in a position to demand the highest possible transfer fee.

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WHAT NEXT? Leao formed part of the Portugal squad that made the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, but is now readying himself for a return to domestic duty following a shock 1-0 defeat to Morocco in Qatar.