What it would take for Leeds United to sign Rafael Leao as AC Milan conditions revealed

Leeds United would stun the Premier League if Rafael Leao was to sign.

Daniel Farke has been prioritising quality over quantity when it comes to new signings at Elland Road this summer.

Indeed, just three new faces have arrived in West Yorkshire, but James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson should all have huge impacts for the Whites going forward.

Another player who would certainly fit that category would be Leao, as the 27-year-old AC Milan forward has established himself as one of the top players in Serie A for many years now.

He's scored 80 goals in 293 competitive appearances for Milan, and has also earned 49 caps for Portugal at international level.

But, he may now feel the time is right to try his hand in the Premier League, and Leeds have been touted as a potential option for him if that's to be his line of thinking.

How much Leeds would have to pay for Rafael Leao

According to talkSPORT earlier this month, Leao was actually offered to Leeds, as well as Manchester United and Arsenal.

It would appear as though his camp is trying to do their best to drum up as much transfer interest in his services as possible, with a move away from Milan seemingly being his plan this summer.

Of course, the likelihood of him being in Leeds' price range as well as the player choosing Elland Road over Old Trafford or the Emirates made the chances of him ending up with the Whites feel unlikely from the start.

But now the 49ers Enterprises know what it would take if they do wish to explore a deal for him, but it would have to see them break their transfer record once again this summer.

Italian outlet Calciomercato has claimed that Milan aren't going to budge from their demands, which are that Leao can only leave for a fee between £42.7million and £51.2m.

The report also claims that as of now, Milan aren't even open to a loan deal with an obligation to buy either, so an outright permanent transfer would seem to be Leeds' only hope.

Galatasaray are also stated to be willing to do anything in order to get him to Istanbul, and that they are ready to make a big offer which Leeds would have to compete with.

It's reaffirmed though that Milan do view Leao as being on the transfer list this summer, but they don't appear to be much in the mood for any attempts at haggling.

But if he was to join Leeds, then where would Leao fit in Farke's system?

Why Leao wouldn't be signing for Leeds to play out wide

For much of his time with AC Milan, Leao has tended to operate from the left wing.

However, there was a notable shift in his positional role last season, as he evolved into more of a striker.

As detailed via Transfermarkt, 21 of his 29 Serie A appearances in 2025-26 came as a striker, with five playing just behind the main centre-forward and three appearances out on the left wing respectively.

This move seemed to work well for him too, as seven of his nine league goals were from the striker position.

So, with Farke typically playing without recognised wingers in his wing-back system, Leao would likely be arriving at Elland Road to compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Leeds' main number nine.