Portugal international Rafael Leao has disclosed that he was on the verge of joining Inter Milan before signing with AC Milan.
Leao, who joined AC Milan in 2019 from Lille, recalled on the Say Less podcast what transpired before his move to the club.
“I was about to go to Inter, crazy. The sporting director (of Lille) told me: ‘Rafa, we’re about to sell you to Inter,’ I said: ‘No, I’ve done very well this season (referring to the season with Lille), I want to stay another season to improve even more and increase my confidence for the next challenge.’
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“But he said no, no, I have to sell you, it’s a great opportunity for you, for us, it’s a lot of money. But I said no to Inter.
“A week, two, three weeks went by and the sporting director came back to me and said: ‘Milan are interested in you.’ I said: ‘Yes, Milan are, if they come with an offer, I’ll accept.’
“After two days he came back and said: ‘They’ve brought the offer, someone wants to talk to you,’ he put me through to Paolo Maldini, not a normal call but a video call. (Former director Paolo) Maldini said: ‘You have to come, we’re ready to take you.’ I accepted, I replied, I couldn’t say no.”
