AC Milan forward Rafael Leao has confirmed he wants to one day play in the Premier League after it emerged that Chelsea were unsuccessful in a move to sign the Portugal international.
The Blues were looking to land the talented 23-year-old last summer but were unsuccessful in their attempts. So keen were transfer chiefs at Stamford Bridge, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic were offered to the Italian club in an exchange deal for the player.
Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali had set aside an £87million budget to land the former Lille star, and when it emerged that money would not be enough to land the forward, then they moved towards the possibility of players moving the other way.
The Rossoneri were not for budging in their stance over Leao, who had helped them win the Serie A title the previous season. They believed he would play an even more important role for the club going forward and could blossom into their main attacking star.
The Milanese giants were under less financial pressure to sell due to their title success and Champions League qualification, and they pointed Chelsea to their star’s £130million release clause written into his contract – which killed a deal at the time.
After the end of the January window, Chelsea attempted again to have a look at Leao's situation and future, with his contract slowly running out. However, the Blues are likely to miss out on the attacker for the third window in a row after he committed his future to Milan by signing a five-year deal.
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However, Chelsea and Premier League rivals may have their ears pricked up by Leao’s latest interview, in which he has confessed that he would one day like to play in the league – giving hopes to a future transfer.
"Anyone would like to play in the Premier League because it's a very competitive league," Leao said to Record. "It has engaging football, great teams and a worldwide audience. Serie A is currently very well positioned in international football ... The Premier League in the future."
Leao began his career at Portuguese giants Sporting CP before spending the 2018-19 campaign at Lille, where after one season he was snapped up by Milan – where he has bagged 40 goals in 159 first-team appearances.
