Rafael Leao admits transfer wish as Chelsea swap deal emerges

AC Milan star Rafael Leao has admitted he would like to play in the Premier League, something that might interest Chelsea.

Leao has been one of the standout young talents in European football this season, scoring 13 goals and providing 13 assists in all competitions.

It's been a mixed season for AC Milan, who put up a weak Serie A title defence and are at risk of failing to qualify for next season's Champions League.

On Tuesday they suffered elimination from the semi-finals of this season's edition, losing 1-0 to city rivals Inter to seal a 3-0 aggregate deficit.

Leao has been the main bright spark of the campaign, with his performances against newly crowned Scudetto winners Napoli in April a highlight.

Speculation regarding his future has been rife all season, with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea both linked with the Portuguese winger.

Milan secured a real coup in tying the 23-year-old to a new five-year contract earlier this month, but that hasn't damped his ambition to move on from the San Siro.

"Anyone would like to play in the Premier League because it's a very competitive league," Leao said in a recent interview with Record.

"It has engaging football, great teams and a worldwide audience. Serie A is currently very well-positioned in international football ... The Premier League in the future."

Image: Alamy

Chelsea could be encouraged to try and sign Leao in the future, even if their previous approaches were strongly rebuffed.

According to The Mirror, the London club tried to sign Leao last summer, offering Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic as part of a swap deal.

Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali set aside £87 million to get a deal done, but Milan refused to budge.

Fresh from winning Serie A and qualifying for the Champions League, there was less financial pressure for Milan to sell.

They told Chelsea they would have to pay the £130m release clause in Leao's contract, and that was that.

Chelsea took another look at the situation in January, encouraged by Leao's contract slowly ticking down.

Following Leao's recent commitment to his club, we might have to wait a while longer before we see the next great Portuguese winger grace the Premier League.

Topics: AC Milan, Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Champions League, Todd Boehly, Premier League, Serie A

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton