Aston Villa make serious Rafael Leão move as €50m transfer talks accelerate

Aston Villa have made a serious move to sign Rafael Leão, with negotiations underway with AC Milan and the Portugal international reportedly opening the door to a move to Villa Park.

The 27-year-old has been linked with a Premier League switch throughout the summer, with agent Jorge Mendes previously attempting to generate interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

Neither club made a decisive move, but Aston Villa have now entered the picture — and talks appear to be progressing.

According to Sport Mediaset, Villa have made initial contact with AC Milan as Unai Emery searches for another major attacking addition before the transfer deadline.

Milan are reportedly prepared to discuss Leão's departure but want at least €50million (£43m) to sanction a sale.

Villa already have an active line of communication with Milan after discussing Pervis Estupiñán and, more recently, defender Fikayo Tomori.

Leão has now become another major subject of those conversations.

Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Leão is “closer than ever” to leaving Milan and has opened the door to joining Aston Villa.

That represents an important breakthrough for Emery.

Leão has publicly spoken about wanting a new experience, while Mendes is actively involved in attempting to engineer his departure from San Siro.

The super-agent reportedly helped establish contact between Villa and Milan, with negotiations now focused on finding agreements with both the club and player.

Personal terms are not expected to represent the biggest obstacle if Leão ultimately decides Villa is his preferred destination.

Signing Leão would represent another major statement from Aston Villa as Emery rebuilds his squad following significant changes this summer.

The Portuguese attacker can operate from the left or through central areas and would provide Villa with pace, individual quality and another major goal threat.

Leão registered 10 goals and one assist in 31 appearances last season, but Milan are now prepared to consider his departure under Ruben Amorim.

At €50m, Villa would also be getting an established international attacker for considerably less than the huge valuations attached to some of their other potential targets.

The key now is whether Aston Villa can reach Milan's valuation and turn their initial approach into a formal agreement. With Leão receptive to the move and Mendes pushing the operation forward, Villa appear to have a genuine opportunity to complete one of the biggest deals of the final days of the window.

Would Rafael Leão be the statement signing Aston Villa need after their difficult start to the season?