Rafael Leao called his AC Milan contract extension an ‘act of love’ but wondered if it is ‘impossible to see yourself wearing the same shirt for a lifetime’ as he hinted at a future exit.
The winger recently penned a five-year renewal with I Rossoneri which, if fulfilled, would bring him to almost a decade with the club.
In a 2021/22 season when he won Serie A’s footballer of the year, the Portugal international attracted widespread admiration.
Real Madrid and Chelsea have been among his most active suitors but the 24-year-old, who scored 16 goals last season, is determined to continue his progress in Italy.
‘An act of love,’ he called the contract renewal. ‘The decision was already in my head, I thought about it a lot, it was just a question of timing, of choosing the right moment. Before the contract, I wanted to go to the Champions League final… but we didn’t make it,’ he said, speaking with Sky Italia and La Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia.
He added: ‘We have to win a trophy. We have to train and understand what the coach wants in order to have a great season as a team. From what I saw with Real Madrid, we have a very strong team.
‘The Scudetto dream has been realised, now the Champions League is missing, the trophy that all players want to win.
‘Maybe in today’s football it’s impossible to see yourself wearing the same shirt for a lifetime. I signed for five years, it means I want to be here. The project is very important, there are a lot of young players, and the most important thing is that I can grow here to reach my goal: to win a lot.’
Since joining from Lille at the start of the 2019/20 season, Leao has bagged 43 goals, but his numbers have really ramped up over the last two seasons, during which time he has managed 30 goals and 27 assists.
He won the Scudetto with the club in 2022 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with them last season, where they lost to bitter rivals Inter.
