Milan believe they are “on the same path” as Rafael Leao and his representatives regarding a possible contract renewal that could keep the Portuguese striker at San Siro for the long term.
And manager Paolo Maldini himself admitted ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against AC Milan that “the club’s confidence is growing”.
“But today is not the right day to discuss it,” he added. “We are on the same path, Liao and we, so we have a common goal.
“Leao is a decisive player, he proved that in Napoli and last season as well, maybe only in spots this season. Consistency is his problem, but he has improved by leaps and bounds since arriving here.
There are still some important details to be agreed upon between Milan and Leo, particularly regarding the salary package the 23-year-old is asking for.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Leao is said to be seeking €7.5m annual compensation plus bonuses while Milan would prefer a deal for a figure closer to €6.5m.
There remains, of course, the main issue of the €20.3m owed to former club Sporting CP after his contract at Lisbon was terminated in 2018.
It was recently revealed by Portuguese outlet Record that Lille will now have to meet settlement costs owed to Sporting, which continue to grow with interest as the months go by.
Liao himself corroborated the news that his former club would have to shoulder the eight-figure financial burden by liking Record’s Twitter post.
But the fact that Leao is no longer individually responsible for paying the €20m-plus fee should be a huge boost for Milan in contract negotiations according to Gazzetta.
The report claims that representatives of the two sides could start discussing the details of a contract extension after the Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Napoli on Tuesday.
