Official: Rafael Leão leaves Milan for Galatasaray after seven seasons
Quick summary
AC Milan have officially sold Portuguese winger Rafael Leão to Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray, ending his seven-season spell at the club.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceMilan have officially announced that former Serie A MVP winner Rafael Leao has joined Turkish giants Galatasaray on a permanent transfer after seven seasons with the Rossoneri.
Official: Milan sell Leao to Galatasaray Galatasaray have confirmed that they will pay a fixed fee of €38m, not including bonuses, to sign Leao from Milan and that the Rossoneri will also retain a 20% sell-on clause.
COMO, ITALY – JANUARY 15: Rafael Leao of AC Milan looks on during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and AC Milan at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on January 15, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The Portugal international had just shy of two seasons remaining on his contract with Milan, expiring in the summer of 2028.
He is set for a significant pay increase after his move to Turkey, with net wages confirmed to be worth €10m per season, again, not including bonuses.
Aston Villa had also been in negotiations to sign Leao towards the end of the summer transfer window, but were unable to match Galatasaray’s offer both in terms of the transfer fee and personal terms.
MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 08: Rafael Leao of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Genoa CFC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on January 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Leao has been one of Milan’s star attractions for the last seven years: He made 291 competitive appearances for the Rossoneri across all tournaments, including 227 in Serie A and is a former winner of the league’s MVP award when Milan won the Scudetto in 2021-22.
He also reached a Champions League semi-final in 2022-23 and won the Supercoppa Italiana under Sergio Conceicao in 2024-25.
He jetted off for Istanbul on Saturday and was greeted by wild crowds at the airport after his arrival.
Leao will wear the no.27 shirt during his first season in Turkey. He will team up with another former Serie A MVP winner in Victor Osimhen at Galatasaray, along with the likes of Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan and Davinson Sanchez.
Official: Rafael Leao holds up his Galatasaray shirt after joining the club in a permanent transfer from Milan (@Galatasaray via Instagram) “AC Milan announces the permanent transfer of Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão to Galatasaray Spor Kulübü,” read a statement on the Milan website on Sunday.
The Club thanks Rafa for the professionalism and passion shown in the Rossoneri shirt over these seven seasons together, during which he contributed to winning the Scudetto in the 2021/22 season and the 2024 Italian Supercup. To Rafa, best wishes, both personally and professionally, in this new chapter of his career.
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What happened
AC Milan have completed the sale of Rafael Leão to Galatasaray, with the Portuguese forward departing the San Siro after seven seasons. Leão had been one of Milan's most important attacking players since arriving in 2018, contributing significantly in Serie A and European competition. The move to Galatasaray represents a major statement of intent from the Turkish club, while Milan will need to reshape their forward line ahead of the new campaign.
Chance analysis
The departure of Rafael Leão closes one of the most significant chapters of recent Milan history. Having joined in 2018, Leão evolved from a promising teenager into the focal point of Milan's attack, helping the club win the Serie A title in 2022 and reaching a Champions League semi-final. His exit leaves a creative and goalscoring void on the left flank, and Milan now face the challenge of replacing a player who consistently produced double-digit goal contributions. For Galatasaray, the signing underlines their ambition to compete at a higher level in Europe and reassert domestic dominance.
Milan lose a key attacking talisman after seven seasons, weakening their offensive line, while Galatasaray gain a proven top-level forward ahead of their campaign.