The New Star of the Istanbul Derby: Galatasaray Offers Leao €10 Million a Year — La Gazzetta's Bomb

The Turkish football market is once again on the agenda with a transfer file that has caught Europe's eye. According to a May 26 report by La Gazzetta dello Sport correspondent Luca Bianchin, Süper Lig champions Galatasaray have taken a concrete step for AC Milan's 26-year-old Portuguese star Rafael Leão. It was stated that the yellow-red club offered the player a personal contract of €10 million net per year plus bonuses. This figure is double Leão's current Milan salary (about €7 million).

The value Milan places on the player's transfer is also important. According to La Gazzetta, Milan is ready to listen to offers in the €40-50 million (£43m) range for Leão due to the performance drop in recent seasons. This figure is a serious decrease from the price tag of about €100 million placed on Leão two years ago. The Portuguese star's contract runs until June 2028.

The offer from the Galatasaray side can be described as one of the biggest salary offers in the history of clubs in the country. The yellow-red club has made a concrete move to bring one of Europe's best-known wingers to the Süper Lig. It is stated that no direct negotiation has yet taken place between Milan and Galatasaray.

But there is another side to the medal. According to sources like Türkiye Today, Leão does not want a transfer to Istanbul; the player prefers the Premier League or to stay at Milan. According to a SempreMilan report based on Gazzetta, the Portuguese star actually wants to stay at Milan. This means that Galatasaray's offer could be rejected.

An interesting dimension to the matter is that Fenerbahçe has also placed Leão on their radar. Fenerbahçe presidential candidate Hakan Safi visiting Milan's headquarters in early May and meeting Milan legend Paolo Maldini in Istanbul shows that the yellow-navy team could also be active in this transfer. In La Gazzetta's terms, this carries the meaning of "an Istanbul derby" in the European transfer market.

In conclusion, Rafael Leão is a top European star truly competed for between Turkey's two big rivals for the first time. Milan closing a turbulent season (Allegri's dismissal, failure to qualify for the Champions League, management change) has accelerated the restructuring process of Cardinale's project. Where Leão goes is a candidate to be one of this summer's most-followed transfer stories.

Source: Based on La Gazzetta dello Sport (Luca Bianchin), Türkiye Today and SempreMilan reports. The process is in the nature of claims.