Barcelona yet to make any moves for disgruntled €75 million-rated Serie A superstar

The future of Rafael Leao has been in the spotlight in recent days after falling out with AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca.

Recent reports indicate that the Portuguese international is ready to leave Milan in the upcoming January transfer window, with Barcelona emerging as one of the potential suitors.

The Catalans are closely monitoring Leao’s situation, which is hardly surprising as the AC Milan forward was a long-time target for the club.

Barcelona’s standing amid Leao saga

A recent report from Matteo Moretto has offered a comprehensive update on Barcelona’s involvement in the Rafael Leao saga.

The report confirms that super-agent Jorge Mendes’ excellent relationship with Joan Laporta is primarily the reason why Barcelona have emerged as one of the suitors.

Laporta himself is known to be a great admirer of Leao, who has enjoyed unprecedented success in Italy.

However, both parties are aware that the Catalans do not have the financial firepower to meet AC Milan’s demands.

To make things worse, the Rossoneri are unlikely to sanction the sale of their star player on a cut-price deal. Barcelona, therefore, may have to come up with a lucrative deal in order to sign the Portuguese international.

AC Milan, for their part, have not yet received any official contact from Barcelona either. So far, only Mendes has shown interest in sanctioning a Barcelona move for Leao.

Keeping these things in mind, it appears quite unlikely for Barça to weigh up a move for Leao anytime soon. But should the club manage to sanction the departure of a few star players and return to the 1:1 rule, things could get interesting.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.