Newcastle United’s transfer hopes have taken another hit as an exciting attacker and former target has made it clear he won’t be moving this summer.
Newcastle had been very impressed with Rafael Leao’s performances’ for AC Milan having faced them in the Champions League and showed an interest in the attacker back in January.
Speaking to Il Corriere della Sera, Leao confirmed that he would not be leaving Milan in the summer despite a number of rumours linking him elsewhere.
Newcastle set to miss out on ‘world class’ attacker
Newcastle had hoped they could be able to persuade the 24-year-old to join Tyneside, though not playing amongst Europe’s elite was sure to hinder their chances of signing him.
A move was never going to happen in January given Newcastle’s lack of funds and Milan unwilling to lose him in the middle of a season, but a summer move still looked on the cards until very recently.
Leao was also wanted by Chelsea and PSG, though it looks like the Portuguese attacker does not want to leave the club who he joined nearly five years ago from Lille and where he has developed into a ‘world class‘ talent.
It was always going to be a long shot for Newcastle to sign someone who was in such high demand and believed to be one of the top stars in Europe, but at some point those are the players they must be going after.
On any potential move, Leao said: “My future is at Milan, I am here and I have four years left [on my contract]. Milan helped me when I was in a very difficult situation and they supported me.
“I won’t forget. I am loyal. I was a kid when I arrived and I’ve grown up as a man and as a footballer. I want to win again, my head is here.”
What could have been for Newcastle
The Magpies already have an exciting attack with both Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak proving to be very exciting talents this season scoring 25 goals across all competitions.
But if they were to have someone as frightening as Leao on the right-wing Newcastle could seriously have one of the best attacks in Europe, but now they’ll have to rethink their transfer plans.
A new winger is high up on the list of priorities for Eddie Howe with Miguel Almiron struggling to hit the form that he showed last season, and Newcastle need to be firing on all fronts if they want to get back in the top four.
How much they have to spend on that position remains to be seen but it’s an area that really needs a lot of improvement for their long-term future.
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