'I am told': Liverpool have passed up chance to sign Portugal international who Ronaldinho loves - journalist
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Liverpool look set to end a busy summer transfer window on a high with the signings of Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi.
The Reds have been active all summer, chopping and changing much of the team along the way.
One of the biggest overhauls has come in the forward line, where Arne Slot has completely reimagined the group from last season.
Out have gone Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, with Hugo Ekitike and, soon, Isak to replace them.
Despite the huge outlay on those two players, as well as Florian Wirtz, some Liverpool fans have felt that the Reds could possibly do with one more option on the left wing.
And according to journalist Lewis Steele, Liverpool actually passed up the chance to sign a player who many will feel could have been perfect.
Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Throughout the summer it has been clear that Liverpool’s primary target was Isak.
They have not been willing to compromise.
Towards the end of last week, journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that Liverpool had been offered three or four important forwards to sign instead of Isak.
But they stood firm.
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According to Steele, one of these players was AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
Quoted in The Daily Mail’s Transfer Deadline Day blog, the journalist revealed that Liverpool were given the chance to sign Leao earlier in August.
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“A trusted source in Italy has told me an interesting line in the last day or so, when chatting about Joe Gomez’s potential move to AC Milan (which is now unlikely),” he said.
“I am told the Reds were offered the chance to sign Milan’s Portuguese winger Rafael Leao in the last month — but passed on the chance.
Apparently Milan also tried to sign Federico Chiesa but, similarly, that was rejected.”
It was not long ago that Liverpool fans were getting excited about Leao after watching him in this summer’s UEFA Nations League.
The 26-year-old also looked good against the Reds in pre-season, scoring an excellent finish past Alisson Becker.
For those who have been watching him for a while, that will not have been a surprise.
Indeed, even Brazilian icon Ronaldinho is a fan of Leao, calling the Portuguese a ‘great player’ in April 2025.
“Leao does not need my advice, he is a great player.
He is one of the players I most enjoy watching,” Ronaldinho said of the man who joined Milan for around £32m in 2019.
While the focus was rightly on Isak, Leao would have no doubt been a player who could have worked at Liverpool this season.