Aston Villa are facing a serious battle in the race to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Turkish giants Fenerbahce are the favourites to sign Leao after tabling a significant bid.
Villa want a replacement for Morgan Rogers, who recently completed a British record £117 million move to Chelsea. Leao is one of several players under consideration.
The Portuguese international is expected to leave Milan this summer, but Villa aren’t the only club keeping tabs on his situation.
Their reluctance to act on their interest could now come back to bite them, with Fenerbahce seriously pushing to sign the Portuguese winger.
They are reportedly willing to offer Milan an initial €40m (£34m) for the 27-year-old, with performance-related bonuses potentially taking the total value of the transfer to €50m (£43m).
Fenerbahce are simultaneously hoping to reach an agreement with Leao on personal terms. They have reportedly offered him a five-year contract worth a guaranteed €8m (£7m) per season.
He could earn an additional €1.5m (£1.2m) if he makes more than 20 appearances in a season, another €1.5m if he scores at least 15 goals, and a further €1m (£854k) if Fenerbahce win the Turkish Super Lig.
Leao still has two years left on his contract with Milan but has been heavily linked with a move for months.
He’s coming off an underwhelming campaign, tallying 10 goals and three assists in 31 games across all competitions, which is poor by his high standards.
However, there’s no doubt that Leao can be a game-changer when he performs at a high level.
Villa are focusing on other targets, including Chelsea duo Alejandro Garnacho and Nicolas Jackson.
