Arsenal ‘in the lead’ for AC Milan starlet amid summer transfer speculation

Champions League-chasing Arsenal is knocking on the door of a long-awaited return to the top club competition in Europe this season as Mikel Arteta’s Gunners current sit just two points outside of fourth with multiple matches in hand over both West Ham United, and Manchester United who are in action tonight against Brighton at Old Trafford.

It has been a strong season from the ever-increasingly young Arsenal squad under their Basque headmaster, and the north London giants have now been linked with a potential move for AC Milan’s 22-year-old attacking starlet Rafael Leão.

According to reports in Italian outlet La Repubblica and cited by Sport Witness, Arsenal has reportedly jumped to the front of the queue of clubs that are tracking the Portuguese international after he has come to life this season at the San Siro as Milan sit atop the Serie A table.

A deal for Leão could be on the cards after the Gunners are preparing to lose both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah in the summer, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has already departed for Barcelona and the future of Bukayo Saka has been left somewhat up in the air after the Hale End graduate hinted at a strong desire to play Champions League football amid questions surrounding an upcoming contract extension.

AC Milan are working to extend both Ismael Bennacer and Rafael Leão contracts in the coming months. Talks ongoing after Theo deal completed. 🔴 #ACMilan

Sven Botman will be priority target as centre back for summer – he was untouchable in January but will leave Lille in June.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 14, 2022

Leão has hit 9-goals and added 5-assists across in 26-league appearances for a total goal involvement/90 above 0.50 while also having the highest completed dribbles success rate (64%) in Serie A this season, making him a prime target for some of the top clubs across the continent. But Milan will fight tooth and nail to keep hold of the Portuguese starlet and are fully expected to, along with Ismaël Bennacer, extend the contracts of both players in the coming months according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

Arsenal to negotiate with Jorge Mendes?

A deal for Rafael Leão would certainly constitute a statement signing by Arsenal given the buzz around the Portuguese international this season, but in doing so they would finally break their duck when it comes to working with one of the most well-known yet controversial agents in football; Jorge Mendes.

Mendes – and his firm Gestifute – have already sunk their teeth deep into the skin of the Premier League in recent Wolves, with the global entities nine of their top-ten most-valuable players by market value plying their trade at Premier League clubs Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Wolves, with another four added to the top-20 for a total of thirteen of their top clients already starring in England. Names on that list include the likes of Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, João Cancelo, Diogo Jota, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Football agent Jorge Mendes of GestiFute company attends the game during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park on October 6, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)

Adama Traoré’s departure to Barcelona reduced that number by one, but the likes of the aforementioned Leão and Renato Sanches could soon help that number tick up as well.

Questions about whether or not a deal for Leão would materialize off the back of that fact alone but be levied, however, with Arsenal already struggling to cope with the reported outrageous demands that the representative cadre surrounding Dušan Vlahović required to consider a move to Arsenal in January.

With fees connected to agents further spiraling out of control on a yearly basis, it may no longer be possible for the Gunners to avoid dealing with Mendes and others of his caliber if they are to acquire players that will hopefully help them hit a level where they can once again challenge for major honors at home and abroad.