AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri is reportedly set to make Rafael Leao one of the pillars of his team moving forward.
The Italian tactician returns for a second stint in charge this summer, and alongside newly-appointed sporting director Igli Tare, the pair will no doubt be meticulously planning a rebuild of the squad to suit Allegri’s preferred identity and style of play.
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With several players likely to be deemed surplus to requirements, on expiring contracts or perhaps a split is in the best interests of both parties after the season we had, there is expected to be a lot of movement in the transfer market this summer.
Outgoings will likely be needed to fund our pursuit of reinforcements, but according to Corriere dello Sport, as per MilanNews, while others may be bidding farewell this summer, Allegri has plans for Leao to be front and centre of his plans moving forward.
The 25-year-old Portuguese international has been a critical player for us since arriving from Lille in 2019, as he’s gone on to score 70 goals and provide 62 assists in 260 appearances for the club.
On his day, he’s unplayable, and on countless occasions, he’s been the difference-maker for Milan with his quality in the final third.
That said, despite tallies of 12 goals and 13 assists last season in 50 outings across all competitions, there was still a sense of frustration with the inconsistency displayed by Leao, much like many of his teammates, and that contributed to Milan having such a poor campaign.
In turn, some may well argue that Leao is an expendable asset if we can cash in and reinvest back into the team to make us more competitive, but that’s reportedly not the way that Allegri sees it.
It’s added in the report above that the Milan boss spoke to Leao after being appointed to make it clear that he intends for him to be a fundamental piece in his plans for the future, and so time will tell if that faith is repaid or not.
What is certain is that Leao has the characteristics and qualities to be an ideal fit for the way Allegri will set us up and want us to play with fast counter-attacking football built on the foundation of a strong defence, and so it’s hoped that if he does indeed stay with us, he’s able to rediscover his best and most devastating form on a more consistent basis to lead us in this fresh start next season.
