Aston Villa have raised their offer to AC Milan for Rafael Leao to €42 million fixed plus €3m in bonuses, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
Villa are in the market for attacking reinforcements and have turned to the 27-year-old to bolster their forward line following the departure of Morgan Rogers.
However, they are not alone in the race. Galatasaray have offered €45m plus bonuses. Villa have increased their offer in a bid to gazump the Turkish club.
He has not accepted their offer because he wants a bigger salary. If they refuse, he will join the Birmingham-based Premier League club.
These are crucial hours, as he must now decide his future after rejecting other clubs.
Leao has already announced that he wants to leave Italy and has been left out of his side’s most recent outing as he seeks a move away.
He would be a terrific addition to the Villa frontline if he can rediscover the form he showed three seasons ago.
His end product has dropped drastically, although being played as a supporting striker last term didn’t help. He is an ‘intelligent‘ forward on his day.
Injuries also slowed him down, and he will be hoping that a new environment gives him a new lease of life.
However, there will be worries about his mentality and defensive application, which has been a hot topic in Italy over the past few seasons.
Villa are seemingly close to signing Nicolas Jackson to replace Ollie Watkins, who is on his way out of the club.
They are also in the market for defensive reinforcements and are considering a move for Jean-Clair Todibo after missing out on Joel Ordonez.
