Leão's future becomes the first major question of Amorim's Milan
AC Milan enters the summer transfer window with a new coach, a new striker and an increasingly open question that could define the Serie A market: will Rafael Leão stay at San Siro, or is a separation being prepared after seven seasons in the red-and-black shirt? According to Italian reports, the club no longer treats the Portuguese international as a completely untouchable player, although by 03 July 2026 no official decision on his sale had been announced. Such a development does not mean that a transfer has been agreed, but that Milan, according to the available information, is considering the possibility of a sale if an offer arrives that fits the financial and sporting plans of the club's new phase. Leão, according to a Football Italia report that relays his comments after Portugal's match at the World Cup, stated that he will address his future only after the tournament ends. In the meantime, the arrival of Rúben Amorim has changed the framework of the debate, because at San Siro the discussion is no longer only about the price, but also about how Milan's most explosive forward fits into the new coach's system.
Amorim's appointment opened a new phase at San Siro
AC Milan confirmed in an official announcement on 16 June 2026 that Rúben Amorim had been appointed head coach of the men's first team, beginning a reconstruction after a season in which the club failed to achieve its main objective in Serie A. According to the official table published on the club's website, Milan finished the 2025/26 season in fifth place with 70 points, behind Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como, which further increased the pressure on the club's sporting policy. In such circumstances, the summer mercato is not merely a matter of adding to the squad, but also of reassessing the dressing-room hierarchy, wage costs, the market value of key players and the tactical identity the new coach wants to establish from the start of preparations. Amorim arrives with a reputation as a coach who prefers clearly defined player profiles, high intensity, pressing and quick transitions, and precisely that style raises the question of the role of a forward who functions best in space, in one-on-one isolations and with greater freedom on the left side. According to the club's announcement, RedBird Capital Partners owner Gerry Cardinale described Amorim as a modern and innovative coach whose philosophy fits Milan's vision, which further explains why decisions about the playing squad are now being viewed through a new tactical lens.
Leão has been one of the most recognizable symbols of Milan's return to the European elite in recent seasons, but his position is no longer as straightforward as it was during the period when he was the unquestioned carrier of the attacking game. According to the club's official announcement from June 2023, the Portuguese player then extended his contract until 30 June 2028, after having collected 162 appearances, 41 goals and 29 assists since his arrival in 2019 and after being named Serie A's best player in the previous season. That contract still gives Milan negotiating strength, but market logic shows that a long contract does not necessarily mean staying if the club decides that the right moment has come for a major sale. In the current context, Leão is not only a player with major market value, but also a potential source of capital for a broader reshaping of the team. That is precisely why Italian media increasingly present his case as the central test of the Amorim era: whether to keep the most talented attacking player or create room for a different, more balanced construction of the team.
Between the desire for a new challenge and talks with the new coach
Leão's public messages in recent weeks have not closed the door to any scenario. Football Italia reported that the Portuguese winger, after Amorim took charge of Milan, said that he is currently thinking only about the World Cup and helping the national team, and that he will decide about his future after the competition ends. The same source states that Leão had previously spoken on several occasions about his desire for a new challenge, which strengthened the impression that the summer of 2026 could be decisive. However, the absence of a final decision leaves room for negotiations, especially because the new coach has not yet worked with the full squad and still needs to assess in detail how he would use the players who have experienced the change on the bench. According to Sky Sport, whose claims were relayed by SempreMilan, Amorim made a short call to Leão as part of his introductory contact with the players, but no decision on a sale or stay was made in that conversation. The same report states that the coach wants to assess the entire squad and that Leão's stay has not been ruled out, depending on how Amorim sees him in his 3-4-2-1 system.
That nuance is important because Leão's case cannot be reduced simply to a story about a player who wants to leave or a club that wants to sell him. Milan must weigh the sporting risk of losing its most dangerous winger, the financial benefit of a possible fee and the question of whether Amorim can extract from him the level of consistency that has at times been missing. Leão is a player who can decide a match with a single acceleration, but also a profile that requires a certain balance behind the ball from the team. In a system with three defenders and two attacking inside forwards, his ideal role is not automatically the same as in a classic setup with a left winger. If Amorim sees him as one of the two players behind the central striker, Milan could gain explosiveness between the lines, but would demand from Leão more discipline in pressing and better off-ball play. If, however, the coach does not see him as a key part of the project, it becomes more logical to consider offers before uncertainty turns into a prolonged topic that burdens the dressing room.
Gazzetta writes about a new hierarchy, but there is no official confirmation of a sale
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported in mid-June that Amorim's arrival was not a move designed to keep Leão at all costs, but the beginning of a broader reshuffle that also includes the possibility of major departures. According to that report, the Portuguese coach does not necessarily have to build the project around his compatriot, despite their shared national-team background and Leão's status as one of Milan's best-known players. That interpretation gained additional weight after the club officially confirmed the arrival of Gonçalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain, because Milan thereby clearly turned toward a new attacking focal point and a player whom Amorim knows well from Portuguese football. Still, it is important to point out that by 03 July 2026 Milan had not officially announced that Leão had been placed on the transfer list. In professional football, the difference between "considering a sale" and "actively pushing for a departure" is not merely semantic, but negotiatory: clubs often use such situations to test the market, retain control over the price and avoid the impression that they must sell at any cost.
The financial framework remains crucial. Leão has a contract until 2028, and Football Italia states that a release clause of 175 million euros is mentioned in his contract, an amount that in the current market circumstances looks more like a protective mechanism than a realistic starting point for negotiations. Italian and international reports in recent weeks have mentioned significantly lower amounts, most often in a range that would nevertheless give Milan strong liquidity for the continuation of the reconstruction. Such figures, however, should be read cautiously because transfer value in major deals is not determined only by the quality of the player, but also by the length of the contract, salary, the player's wishes, the number of interested clubs, transfer-window deadlines and the pressure on the selling club. Milan is in a better position because of the contract than it would be if Leão's deal were expiring, but at the same time it could be more willing to compromise if it decides that the funds can be invested in several positions. That is why any concrete offer from the Premier League or another major league will have to satisfy not only the accounts, but also Amorim's sporting assessment.
Gonçalo Ramos's arrival changes the attacking picture
The officially confirmed arrival of Gonçalo Ramos further changes Leão's context. AC Milan announced on 30 June 2026 that it had purchased the rights to the Portuguese striker from Paris Saint-Germain and that Ramos had signed a contract until 30 June 2031. According to the same club announcement, Ramos won a series of trophies at PSG, including domestic titles and European titles, and scored 45 goals in 131 appearances for the Paris club. His arrival does not automatically mean Leão's departure, but it changes the distribution of roles in attack and shows that Milan is already investing in a central striker around whom Amorim could build the structure. If Ramos becomes the reference point in the penalty area, the players around him will be expected to fill spaces at the right time, combine effectively and work in the press. In such a model, Leão can be an enormous weapon, but only if his freedom is aligned with the collective demands of the new coach.
For Milan, this is also a question of investment balance. Signing an expensive striker usually creates the need for financial compensation, especially if the club is simultaneously planning reinforcements in defense and midfield. Gazzetta had already written before the official confirmation of Ramos's arrival that Amorim saw him as an important attacking target, and the official announcement now confirms that Milan completed that part of the business before the start of club preparations. If Leão is kept alongside Ramos, Milan would have extremely powerful attacking potential, but also a high concentration of resources in the offensive part of the team. If Leão leaves, his transfer could create room to bring in several players who better suit Amorim's structure, including profiles for the wide positions, midfield and rotation in the back line. That is why the decision on Leão will probably be connected to a whole series of other moves, not only to one potential buyer.
The Premier League is monitoring the situation, but no concrete agreement has yet been confirmed
Interest from the Premier League remains the most logical external factor because English clubs have the financial strength for major fees and salaries, and Leão's profile as a fast, powerful and attractive offensive player fits well with the market logic of Europe's richest league. Reports linked with Tottenham state that Leão has been mentioned as a possible option in the search for an attacking reinforcement, while some media write that his representation circle is active in sounding out interest. According to the available information, however, there is no official confirmation that Milan has received an offer that would meet its conditions, nor that the player has reached an agreement with another club. This means that the current situation remains in the zone of negotiating pressure, contacts and assessments, not a completed transfer. For Milan, the ideal scenario would be clear: if Leão stays, he must quickly receive a sporting role and public stability; if he leaves, the club wants to avoid a late outcome that would make it harder to buy replacements.
For the player himself, the choice is not simple. The Premier League could offer him a new stage, a higher rhythm, global visibility and a different context after years in Italy. On the other hand, staying at Milan under Amorim could allow him to reset his relationship with the club and with a coach who speaks the same language, knows the Portuguese football mentality and has a reputation as a specialist in developing attacking profiles. Leão has already built strong status among Milan fans, but in football perception changes quickly when a club enters a rebuild and when a reaction is expected after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. If Portugal remains in the World Cup for a long time, the decision will be further delayed, and negotiations will take place in circumstances in which every good match can raise the price, while every new statement can change the tone of the talks.
Why a sale would be one of Serie A's biggest decisions of the summer
A possible sale of Rafael Leão would be one of the biggest stories of the Italian transfer window not only because of the player's name, but also because of the message it would send about Milan's direction. A club that sells its most recognizable attacking player must convincingly show that it has a plan to replace his individual quality, not merely an accounting benefit. Leão is the type of player of whom there are not many on the market: tall, fast, technically strong, capable of attacking space and creating an advantage out of nothing. Such players often mask the tactical shortcomings of a team because they can decide a match even when the collective is not functioning perfectly. But precisely for that reason, coaches sometimes have to decide whether they want to subordinate the system to their best qualities or build a collective in which even the biggest star is not exempt from shared demands.
Amorim's Milan is only just taking shape, and Leão is the first major boundary between continuity and rupture. If the club keeps him, the public will expect the new coach to find a way to make him a consistent attacking leader again. If it sells him, the expectation will be that the funds are invested quickly, precisely and without improvisation. In both cases, Milan must act convincingly because the 2026/27 season is already burdened by the need to return to the Champions League and reduce the gap to the top of Serie A. Until then, the most accurate description of Leão's situation remains cautious: his departure is a real possibility, interest from England exists in media reports, Amorim's arrival has changed the negotiating context, but the final decision has not yet been officially confirmed. It is precisely that uncertainty that makes Leão one of the most important names of the summer on the European market.
Sources:
- AC Milan – official announcement of the appointment of Rúben Amorim as head coach of the men's first team and description of the club's sporting direction (link)
- AC Milan – official Serie A table for the 2025/26 season and Milan's final league position (link)
- AC Milan – official announcement of Rafael Leão's contract extension until 30 June 2028 and data on his previous performance at the club (link)
- La Gazzetta dello Sport – report on Amorim's arrival, Milan's reshuffle and the possibility of Leão's departure (link)
- Football Italia – report on Leão's statements that he will decide about his future after the World Cup and on his contractual status (link)
- SempreMilan / Sky Sport – report on the contact between Rúben Amorim and Rafael Leão and on the fact that a final decision on a sale or stay has not been made (link)
- AC Milan – official announcement of the arrival of Gonçalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain and the signing of a contract until 30 June 2031 (link)