Rafael Leão is closing the door on a move to any Italian club, Matteo Moretto has said, pouring cold water on reports linking the winger with a surprise switch to Fiorentina.
The story sits inside the wider uncertainty over Leão's future, which took a turn after his earlier openness to leaving Milan gave way to a murkier picture that the management still has to resolve.
Speaking in a video on Fabrizio Romano's YouTube channel, Moretto directly addressed the claim that Fiorentina were weighing an ambitious approach for the Portuguese.
"We're not aware of that [Leao to Fiorentina]. I can tell you that Leao has received some approaches from an Italian team, but at this time Leao is closing the door on a possible move to an Italian club," he said.
Moretto then framed the finances as the real barrier. "I'll also tell you that, financially, as we've been reiterating for several days, it's a difficult move for Italian teams at this time. So, to date, neither Fiorentina nor any other team they might have approached has made any inquiries."
The money is where any domestic move runs aground. Leão earns €7m net per season including bonuses, a figure that sits well beyond what Fiorentina or most Serie A sides could comfortably carry.
That salary sharpens the mismatch between Milan's willingness to sell and the pool of clubs able to buy. There has been talk that the asking price has now dropped below €50m to help ease his exit, yet a lower fee does nothing to solve the wage problem for suitors inside Italy.
For now, the resolution to Leão's situation, if it comes, looks likely to arrive from abroad rather than from within Serie A, and the next move is Milan's to make.