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Journalist Dean Jones believes Premier League giants Chelsea are leading the race to sign the AC Milan striker Rafael Leao following his brilliant outing with Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The forward scored two goals in five appearances for Portugal, who crashed out in the quarter-finals round, losing 1-0 against a 10-man Moroccan side.
The Sporting CP academy product has been exceptional for AC Milan since his arrival at the San Siro in 2019 from French club Lille. Leao signed a five-year contract at Milan for a fee of €35 million plus, which included a sell-on clause.
After scoring 34 goals and assisting another 30 in 135 appearances for Milan across competitions, Leao is amongst the most in-demand players ahead of the winter transfer window.
However, Graham Potter's Chelsea are reported to be leading the race to sign Leao. The west London outfit want to bolster their attacking capabilities despite having the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, and Mason Mount in their team.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Leao is likely to arrive at Stamford Bridge as Potter wants the Chelsea board to complete the signing as soon as possible. He said:
“Chelsea have great interest in Leao and there is some hope over landing him, especially after he briefly followed them on social media the other day!''
However, AC Milan are not ready to let the Portuguese international leave and are preparing to offer him a better contract as soon as possible to stop him from joining another club. Jones explained:
“But Milan are so desperate not to lose him right now because replacing him will be hard. Chelsea are the frontrunners, though, if this opens up. We will have to see how this goes over the next couple of weeks.”
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho lauds transfer target Rafael Leao, believes he will be a 'great' player
Former Blues manager Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Leao for his mentality and talent, claiming the 23-year-old will be a 'great, great' player. The forward remains Chelsea's top priority in the next two transfer windows.
Speaking about the Portuguese striker, the AS Roma manager said:
"Rafael Leão? What a player! He's unstoppable. Milan found the perfect dynamic for his qualities. I hope he's a good kid, with a good mentality and with good people around him because he can be a great player, a great, great player."
Mourinho was reportedly approached by the Portuguese Football Federation to take over as manager of the national team following the rumored resignation of Fernando Santos.
Portuguese fans are hyped about the prospect of having one of the most successful managers take over a young and super-talented pool of players.
