Arsenal is interested in AC Milan attacker, Rafael Leao, but they have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of his signature this summer.
The Portugal international has done well since he moved to Milan in 2019, and he remains one of their key players.
His current deal expires in 2024, and they have not tied him to a new one. This seemed to be a sign that he would leave, and Arsenal showed their interest in his signature.
However, Milan is now looking to keep him, and a report via Sun Sports claims they have plans to open contract talks with the 22-year-old.
They hope he would accept a new deal worth £70,000-a-week to remain with them.
However, if he turns down their proposal, they will sell him in the summer to avoid him losing more value on the market.
Just Arsenal Opinion
At 22, Leao is at the perfect age to join Arsenal’s rebuild, and we would be smart to get him over to London.
However, we need to offer him a better contract than Milan and propose an impressive transfer fee to take him from the Serie A side.
That shouldn’t be a problem because we expect the club to be prepared to spend the required money to add attacking reinforcements at the end of this campaign.
If Leao is a top target, this transfer interest should speed up in the coming weeks.