Aston Villa suffer fresh heartbreak as spell-binding Serie A superstar favours Old Trafford switch – report

Manchester United’s pursuit of AC Milan forward Rafael Leao could come under serious threat from Aston Villa. The Portuguese forward is expected to be on the move this summer, and the Red Devils are among the clubs monitoring him closely. INEOS have already upgraded the midfield this summer by signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. Meanwhile, the goalkeeping department has been strengthened by the arrival of Karl Darlow on a Bosman move. However, United remain on the hunt for more firepower before the start of the new campaign. The Red Devils are preparing to return to the Champions League next season and want to improve their squad to compete with the best teams in Europe. With Marcus Rashford’s future also uncertain, the Premier League giants are keen to add a tricky winger to their team. Recent reports suggest that they have identified Leao as an option for the job. Leao to be on the move this summer Leao had a decent run with AC Milan last season, finishing the campaign with 10 goals and three assists in 31 appearances across all competitions. Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure Champions League football for the Rossoneri, who ended up fifth in the Serie A table. Rafael Leao Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Serie A2923935-1,861′ Italy Cup221—107′ Supercoppa Italiana——- Total31251035-1,968′ Source: Transfermarkt. It is believed that the Portuguese is now ready for a fresh challenge, while the Italian giants are also prepared to let him leave amid concerns about behavioural issues. A previous report relayed by The Peoples Person stated that AC Milan could be willing to let him go for just £43 million to balance their books. That is certainly a bargain deal for a player of Leao’s calibre, and naturally, United are interested. However, it has been recently suggested that Tottenham Hotspur are ready to hijack the Red Devils’ move for the 27 year old. A fresh update on the player’s future has now emerged, which may not please the Red Devils. Villa identify United target as Morgan Rogers replacement According to Sport Mediaset, Villa have identified Leao as a possible replacement for Morgan Rogers and have already initiated contact regarding a move this summer. The report states: “According to information gathered by our transfer market expert Claudio Raimondi, Aston Villa—which has been in talks with Milan in recent days regarding Pervis Estupinan—has reportedly inquired about the Portuguese player.” “While formal negotiations haven’t begun yet, the prospects look very promising. The Villains are looking for a replacement for Morgan Rogers, who was bought from Chelsea for a hefty sum of around 130 million euros.” “Emery has asked for a major reinforcement in the attacking department, and the club—after raising the necessary funds—would have no trouble meeting Milan’s asking price for Leao, which is valued between 50 and 60 million euros.” The report adds that while Leao would prefer a move to United, he is not entirely against joining the Villans. It continues: “Rafa, for his part, wouldn’t veto a move to Birmingham, even though it isn’t at the top of his list of preferences (which has long been dominated by Manchester United)—quite the contrary.” “The Portuguese player believes that Aston Villa is an extremely ambitious club: they’re achieving great results (fourth in the Premier League and Europa League champions last season), they’re ambitious, they’ll be playing in the Champions League next year, and they have one of the best coaches around, Unai Emery.” Final Thoughts Leao struggled to impress at the FIFA World Cup, and there remain concerns about his behaviour behind the scenes. As such, INEOS should perhaps consider alternative targets to upgrade their attack, including West Ham United’s Crysencio Summerville. Featured images Marco Luzzani via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.