Rafael Leão is now trying to win back his place at Milan after the summer failed to bring him the move he wanted, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The saga has quietly shifted. Leão spent much of the window open to a change of club and country, but the offers he hoped for have not materialised, and he has returned to training with a squad that visibly wants him around. The task now is proving he can fit Ruben Amorim's football.
That is not a small ask. Amorim's system runs on high pressing, intensity, and quick link-up play in tight spaces, none of which sits naturally with Leão's game. Gazzetta frame it as Leão needing to make the first move to repair the relationship, rather than the club coming to him.
On the market, the picture is thin. Leão has never entertained the Saudi option despite the prospect of linking back up with Theo Hernández there, which leaves Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe as the only clubs showing concrete interest. Both have offered his entourage a salary above €12m net per year including bonuses, well up on the €7m he earns now.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, the Super Lig has not been ruled out entirely, but it is not where his head is either. His preference is the Premier League or staying at Milan, provided he is allowed to fight for a place. That door is open because Amorim is not treating him as a reject, the way he handled unwanted players at Manchester United.
Leão is expected to start tomorrow's derby against Inter. In the 3-4-2-1 he lines up on the left in one of the two attacking midfield slots behind the striker, with either Gonçalo Ramos or Francesco Camarda leading the line. He is short of 90 minutes but has trained well, and Amorim wants to see how much of his tactical instruction has landed.
Gazzetta report Leão was in excellent spirits at training, joking through the rondo and ending up in the middle with the ball nutmegged through his legs, while Nkunku, Fofana and Chukwueze mimicked his surfer celebration. Amorim's staff watched it all closely.
The financial side is where it gets decisive for Milan. Before asking Gerry Cardinale to fund another attacking midfielder for the 3-4-2-1, Amorim wants to assess what he already has, and he is also trialling Ruben Loftus-Cheek in those two positions. Any new signing depends on Leão's exit being paid for first, and Cardinale has no intention of selling at a discount, valuing him at between €50-60m.
The American is waiting on Amorim, who will clarify his thinking across the three friendlies against Inter, Chelsea and Manchester United. A Premier League club could still enter and change everything, though Gazzetta note Leão does not see those two fixtures as ideal shop windows for clubs he might actually consider.
From here it rests with Leão's performances and Amorim's verdict, with Cardinale holding firm on his price until one of them forces the issue.