Rafael Leao set to leave AC Milan as Portuguese star wants 'new challenge'

[p]Speaking to [i]Sport TV[/i], the 26-year-old forward was candid and left no room for doubt.[/p][p]"[b]Personally, I've given everything at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]AC Milan[/a]. It's a club that helped me grow a lot and supported me through tough times. Fortunately, I managed to make my mark in their history. Everyone has ambitions and I dream of a new challenge in a new league. If that happens, I'll be very happy and fulfilled because I did my job at AC Milan[/b]," [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leao-rafael/AqOPWN5s/"]Leao[/a] began, speaking at an event promoting his clothing brand, which was attended by incoming Chelsea signing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/quenda-geovany/StyGYS8e/"]Geovany Quenda[/a].[/p][embed guid="5adc5357-edd2-4c33-8609-2f40305a7421" url="https://x.com/sporttvportugal/status/2060840979687506082" social-type="twitter" /][p]Asked whether his preferred destination would be England, Spain or Saudi Arabia, the Milan star chose to focus on the 2026 World Cup.[/p][p]"[b]The most important thing now is the World Cup and helping the national team in any way I can. When the time comes, I'll look at the best options to continue my career and keep competing at the top of European football[/b]," he said.[/p][p]Leao wants to bid farewell to Milan after seven seasons of rapid development, establishing himself as one of the most feared wingers in world football. Arriving at the San Siro in 2019 from Lille, for 35 million euros (£30m) plus [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djalo-tiago/Kth1VCDj/"]Tiago Djalo[/a], the Portuguese international was the [b]key catalyst in winning the Serie A title in 2021/22, a season in which he was crowned the league's MVP[/b].[/p][p]Over the years, wearing the iconic number 10 shirt, Leao surpassed 200 appearances and etched his name into Milan's history, scoring more than 50 goals and providing over 40 assists for the club, as well as leading the team to a Champions League semi-final in 2023.[/p][p]The recently concluded 2025/26 season, marked by the failure to qualify for the Champions League, ultimately signalled the definitive end for the Portuguese star.[/p][p]Despite Milan's collective ups and downs over the past two years and strong interest within the big-money market, the forward remained one of the team's main creative and most dangerous attacking threats, but the numbers didn't keep coming. [b]This season, he scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 31 matches across all competitions[/b].[/p][p]At 26, and with his status as a star firmly established at the San Siro, Rafa Leao is looking to leave Milan with a sense of accomplishment and is eager to have his [b]passport stamped for his next big adventure, whether in Europe or Saudi Arabia[/b].[/p]