Galatasaray have reached an agreement in principle to sign Portuguese winger Rafael Leão from AC Milan after the player accepted a move to the Turkish champions, with the final formalities and official announcement still to follow.
Leão gave his approval following a strong push from Aston Villa, but Galatasaray improved their financial offer in recent hours and persuaded the Portuguese international to choose Istanbul over a first experience in the Premier League.
AC Milan are expected to receive a guaranteed €45 million, with add-ons taking the overall value of the package beyond that figure. The Italian club will also retain a percentage of any future sale.
Leão is set to earn around €12 million per year at Galatasaray, comprising a net salary of €10 million and a further €2 million in bonuses. Aston Villa’s offer was reportedly worth between €7 million and €7.5 million annually.
The transfer comes during an exceptional summer for the Turkish league, with Mohamed Salah joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer, Fenerbahçe signing Mason Greenwood, Nathan Aké and Vedat Muriqi, while Beşiktaş recruited Leandro Trossard and Alexander Nübel.
Ruben Amorim opened the door for Leão’s departure after leaving him out of the squad to face Venezia, suggesting that there are moments when moving elsewhere becomes the best solution. The winger is no longer among the key players around whom the coach intends to build his new Milan project, particularly because of doubts over his suitability for a system based on pressing and off-the-ball work.
Leão struggled with calf and groin injuries last season and admitted that he played through pain for four to five months while being used out of position under Massimiliano Allegri. His campaign also featured tension over substitutions and a public disagreement with Christian Pulisic, while he managed nine goals and three assists in 29 Serie A appearances.
Leão joined Milan from Lille in the summer of 2019 and made around 291 appearances for the Rossoneri, scoring 80 goals. He played a leading role in their 2021-22 Serie A triumph, winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award, and later helped Milan lift the Italian Super Cup in 2025.
