Barcelona forward target ready to leave club after a falling-out with manager

Earlier this week, we reported that Barcelona were closely monitoring the situation of AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, whose relationship with manager Paulo Fonseca had become strained.

The Portuguese international has been on the Catalans’ radars for a long time and the possibility of signing him was explored last summer as well, especially once it became clear that Nico Williams would not arrive.

But with recent developments at Milan, the Blaugrana are again keeping very close tabs on his situation, weighing up the possibility of a move should an opportunity present itself.

Leao asks to leave AC Milan

And, it appears that the opportunity will present itself to Barcelona as Tuttosport reports that Leao has asked his agents to find him a new club either in January or in the summer.

The 25-year-old is unhappy with coach Fonseca, who has benched the forward in recent games, including the crucial tie against Napoli, citing the lack of improvement in his defensive effort on the field.

There is a lot of unresolved tension between the forward and the manager, so much so that Leao has now reportedly decided to seek an exit from Milan.

Indeed, the report claims that the former Lille attacker has informed his agents to find him a new club either in the upcoming winter transfer window or in the summer.

As mentioned earlier, Barcelona, for their part, are attentive to the situation and are keeping themselves informed of all developments through superagent Jorge Mendes.

However, any move for Leao from the Catalans is unlikely to take place in January, especially with the registration issues of Dani Olmo set to surface again.

But if the situation between Leao and Fonseca does not improve, and he stays in Italy until the end of the season, Barcelona could launch a swoop for the 25-year-old attacker.