Manchester City are leading the race to secure the services of Sporting CP starlet Rafael Leao next summer. According to a recent report, the Citizens are currently ahead of the queue to sign the Portuguese youngster at the end of the season. The teenage forward is widely considered as the most impressive attacking talent coming out of Portuguese football. It is being reported that the Premier League champions-elect have made an offer in the region of €25m for the 18-year-old’s signature. However, they also have Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid to compete with, in pursuit of the young forward’s services.
Leao has been compared with French youngster Kylian Mbappe due to his technical qualities and 1.88m physique as Sporting CP has a mammoth task to keep hold of their prized asset with some of Europe’s elite clubs waiting to pounce on his signature in the near future. The Lisbon outfit managed to extend Leao’s contract to run until the summer of 2022 in October, last year while also increasing the centre-forward’s release clause to €60m.
Leao finally managed to break into the Sporting CP first-team earlier in this campaign, finding the back of the net in a 20-minute Taca de Portugal appearance after coming off the bench as a substitute. On Sunday, Sporting CP boss Jorge Jesus brought him off the bench as he helped his team break the deadlock during a 2-0 Primeira Liga victory against Feirense.
The bulk of Leao’s playing time this term has been spent while he featured for Sporting’s B team and UEFA Youth League sides. He has also represented his nation Portugal at the youth ranks from Unders 16 onwards which has led to his recent debut for the Portuguese Under 21’s in November last year.
In a recent interview, Sporting CP manager Jorge Jesus was quoted to have said, “He is a disconcerting player, powerful one-on-one,”
“I gave him the opportunity to play. He is a strong kid and he was serene; everything he did was done with quality. We will work step-by-step with Leao, who is one of the great talents our academy has.”
Guardiola has proven that he is willing to give the youngsters a chance in his first-team with the rapid emergence of Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko recently. The addition of Leao, who has immense potential, might fulfil City’s aim of finding a long-term replacement for Sergio Aguero. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Portuguese wonder-kid and whether City ends up acquiring his services in the near future.
