Barcelona-linked Rafael Leao reaffirms commitment to AC Milan

The Portugal international has been tipped to swap San Siro for the Premier League or Barcelona for several months and is also believed to have emerged as a target for Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ligue 1 champions will sever ties with Kylian Mbappe when his contract runs out in the summer, and Leao has apparently been identified as an ideal successor to the Real Madrid-bound Frenchman.

However, Milan successfully tied the former Lille man down to a new long-term deal until 2028 last summer, and his terms are believed to include a mammoth release clause of €175m (£149.5m).

Owing to the yearly €200m (£170.9m) they will save from not paying Mbappe his astronomical wages, PSG would have the capability to pay Leao's release clause, but the winger recently expressed his desire to remain in Italy.

In a separate interview with Il Corriere della Sera - as quoted by Metro - the 24-year-old, who is also on Chelsea and Manchester City's radar, once again expressed his desire to see out his contract at San Siro.

"It's my home. I like everything. Shopping, fashion and even the weather because it's similar to Portugal," Leao said. "If you think it's cold, try to go to Lille! And then food, I like everything about Italian cuisine. Pasta, risotto, fish.

"My future is at Milan, I am here and I have four years left [on my contract]. Milan helped me when I was in a very difficult situation and they supported me. I won't forget. I am loyal. I was a kid when I arrived and I've grown up as a man and as a footballer. I want to win again, my head is here."

The former Sporting Lisbon youngster cost Milan €49.5m (£42.3m) to acquire from Lille in 2019, since when he has contributed 52 goals and 44 assists from 196 matches, winning the Serie A title in the 2021-22 campaign.

Leao was named the Serie A MVP for that season, but he has struggled to have as big an impact in front of goal in the 2023-24 top-flight season, only netting four times and enduring a 17-game scoring drought from September to February.

The attacker ended that barren sequence with the opener in Milan's 1-1 draw with Atalanta BC on February 25, and he has admitted that he gets "angry" by critics who only focus on his goalscoring numbers.

"I love great goals, of course I'd like to score more, but I also make assists, I am a complete player. Today's football is only about stats and I don't like it. Football is magic and joy. People who only think about numbers make me angry," Leao added.

"People must be entertained so that I can have fun too. I am a fan of aesthetics and beauty. In football, fashion, music and love. Critics always motivate me. Sometimes I get angry, but only if it's not constructive.

"I am sorry when they are done just to taunt me. Sometimes I ask myself, 'Does this guy know anything about football?', and these things make me stronger anyway, I know where I can get."

AC Milan sit third in the Serie A table and play the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash at home to Slavia Prague on Thursday night.