Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan, according to a report, as the Gunners search for a winger in the summer transfer market.
Gary Jacob reports for The Times that Arsenal had a few options for potential left-wing signings going into the summer, though one of them is already off the table, with Anthony Gordon joining FC Barcelona.
The Gunners remain interested in Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa, but Jacob adds that the club have also been offered Rafael Leao of AC Milan.
The report doesn’t make it clear what Arsenal’s stance is on the potential Serie A signing, but it’s clearly one option for the club to consider.
Arsenal have been linked with Leao since as long ago as 2022, and Isaan Khan reported last summer that the player was on Arsenal’s list of possible options on the wings.
The Gunners didn’t end up signing a natural left-winger in 2025. Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are both capable of playing on the left, but prefer the right-wing and midfield respectively.
So a year on, there’s no doubt the club will be pushing for a left-sided addition, it’s just a question of which player they might prioritise.
Leao had a relatively quiet year in 2025/26, scoring 10 goals and assisting three in just 31 games. A few muscle injuries limited the player’s minutes, and his form suffered, whilst Milan ended up missing out on Champions League football.
That combination of a down year and the financial impact of missing out on the Champions League could make this a good time to pick Leao up for a lower fee than he would have commanded last summer.
In the four seasons from 2021/22 to 2024/25, Leao never dipped below 25 goal contributions in a single season (26, 31, 29, 25), so Arsenal may feel this latest campaign is an outlier and he’ll be back to his best soon. But that’s their decision to make.
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