Rafael Leao misses AC Milan match amid Leeds transfer news, 'no one missed him'

AC Milan saw their first glimpse of life without Leeds United-linked Rafael Leao on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim's side opened their 2026-27 Serie A campaign with a 2-1 win over Torino.

Leao was left out of Milan's squad, with it being widely reported this summer and again in recent days that he's expected to leave.

Leeds have been strongly linked to his signature for a number of weeks, and could see his Torino absence as a sign of his impending exit.

Given his profile and European pedigree, Daniel Farke would surely love to add a player of Leao's standing to his Whites squad before the deadline.

However, Elland Road chiefs have been warned of a particular trait to his game that throws into doubt whether he'd be a good fit.

Why 'nobody missed' Rafael Leao in AC Milan vs Torino

Leeds reportedly don't have an offer on the table for Leao, despite conflicting reports from earlier this summer that a £42.7million bid was lodged.

However, there is largely always no smoke without fire in these situations, and it appears as though the Whites do hold a genuine interest in acquiring him.

With Leao not in the Milan squad to face Torino, 19-year-old Alphadjo Cisse stepped up in his absence.

The teenager sparkled in Turin, scoring the opening goal of the game on 64 minutes before being replaced two minutes later by Amorim.

On Monday, Milan reporter Andrea Longoni wrote of Cisse's performance in relation to Leao's absence via Calciomercato.

"(Translated) The story of Cissè is a beautiful one, a player who at a certain point in the transfer window seemed destined for Torino," he wrote.

"The club did well to retain him, and Amorim did well to place his faith in him.

"This naturally prompts a reflection and a comparison with Rafa Leao, given that the key is the same. No one missed the Portuguese, and that's already a sign.

"I'm not saying that Cissè is stronger than the number 10 today, but yesterday he was in the match from start to finish, without any breaks, something that almost always happened to Leao."

So, Longoni has described Leao's tendency to drift out of games, but does his most recent data from the 2025-26 season back that claim up?

Why Leao's 2025-26 numbers offer conflicting 'drifting' evidence

With his 80 goals in 293 career appearances for Milan, and having hit double-figure goal returns in each of his last five seasons, Leao is perhaps a bit of a luxury player.

The quality he provides and impact he can make in attack is often forgiven for what he lacks from a defensive standpoint.

As per FotMob, Leao ranked in the bottom 10.7 percentile of all Serie A strikers in 2025-26 for his 0.87 defensive contributions per game.

Meanwhile, he also placed in the bottom 13.1 and 41.7 percentiles for his 0.29 tackles and 2.08 recoveries per 90 too.

On the flip side, however, he scored in the top 16.7 per cent for his 44.1 touches per 90, and the leading 10.7 per cent for his 23.6 successful passes per game.

In addition, his 3.05 shots per game put him in the top 19 per cent of his positional rivals, so there is evidence for both sides of this 'drifting out of games' tendency claim.

By contrast, Serie A football is typically slower and more defensive than in the Premier League.

With that in mind, perhaps Leao would suit the more attacking and faster-paced environment in England's top flight, should Leeds bring him here.