Aston Villa have opened talks with Milan over a move for Rafael Leão, with the Portuguese now closer to a departure than at any point before, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The saga has simmered all summer, with Milan long willing to listen to offers for a player whose exit would free up serious wages and reshape the attack. In these closing days of the window, the situation may finally reach a conclusion, and Di Marzio reports that Aston Villa have made a concrete approach in the last few hours.
Di Marzio frames it in the strongest terms yet, describing Leão as having never been so close to leaving Milan. The Rossoneri, for their part, have consistently kept the door open to a sale.
Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto have both added detail to the picture. Romano points to the role of the player's agent in getting the deal moving.
“Confirmation is coming in that Aston Villa have started work on the Rafa Leao deal today, an operation born from the idea of Mendes, who has an excellent relationship with Aston Villa,” Romano said.
“This idea, however, also stems from another very strong friendship, that between Cardinale and the owner of Aston Villa, so it’s a discussion that also involves the presidents of the two clubs. This is also why Tomori’s name has emerged in recent days in the Aston Villa orbit.”
Romano added that Fikayo Tomori is “not close to Aston Villa at the moment,” with the defender's name surfacing only through those direct talks between the two presidents.
Moretto, meanwhile, drew a clear line between an approach and a negotiation. “There has been an initial direct approach between the clubs, there is a great friendship between the two presidents. To date, there has been no real contact between Aston Villa and those managing Rafael Leao’s interests,” he said.
The financial gap is where the deal stands or falls. Moretto reports that Milan are asking for €50m plus bonuses, taking the total to around €60m, while Aston Villa in his view could reach roughly €50m including bonuses.
Moretto also noted that Leão is open to the Premier League, but that no talks have taken place over a Villa move specifically. He contrasted that with interest from Galatasaray, who have contacted the player directly and are prepared to offer significant sums, though there is no agreement between the Turkish side and Milan either.
For now, the two presidents have started the conversation and the gap between offer and asking price is the number to watch. From here, it is up to the clubs to close it before the window shuts.