According to the reports of Calciomercatoweb, Liverpool are looking to sign AC Milan forward Rafael Leao with a cash-plus-player offer. The Italian giants valued their forward at around €150M.
The Portuguese international has been phenomenal for the Italian giants in the last few seasons. He helped them to clinch their 19th Serie A title last year.
Why Rafael Leao?
The 23-year-old will be out of contract in the summer of 2024. The Portuguese international has not signed an extension with the Serie A giants. Milan could put the Portuguese forward in the transfer market if he refused to sign a new deal.
The Milan forward has started in 19 matches where he scored 8 goals and gave 6 assists. He has an expected xG of 7.0 and an expected xAG of 5.2.
Thus, Milan is looking for somewhere around €150M for the Portuguese international. The Merseyside giants are unlikely to pay such a hefty sum of money for a striker. Especially when they have invested around €100M for the Uruguayan international Darwin Nunez this season.
The Reds are hoping to bring down the price by offering the Colombian international Luis Diaz along with cash for Leao.
Importance of Luis Diaz
The Colombian has played only 8 games this season where he registered 3 goals and 2 assists. He has an expected xG 1.7 and an expected xAG 1.0.
Diaz has been outstanding from the start of the season but his injury is the reason why he has been sidelined from the squad. The 26-year-old remains a top-quality player for the Reds side. Jurgen Klopp rates him as a potential great.
Leao will be a great addition to the Reds but he plays in a similar position as Diaz so it won’t add any value to the team.
The Portuguese international has also been liked with several other clubs like Man City and Chelsea. While it looks unlikely that the Merseyside club will make any such offer for Rafael Leao.
