Leao signs! Two million just for the signature and another $35 million over five years

For everyone who fell in love with football over the 1990s and the 2000s, AC Milan has been the "it" club, the iconic side where only the very best players would find playing time. However, there's been a period of around a decade where true stars were painfully absent from the red-and-black ranks. But Milan is getting back to the glory days - and they've got the right personnel. Namely, their best player Rafael Leao has signed a new five-year contract and pledged his future to the club.

Although the news is yet to be confirmed by the Lombardian club, various sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport, claim that Leao has put a pen to paper on a deal until June 2028 with a net salary of $7 million per year. The Portuguese forward will also receive a $2 million bonus for the signing itself. It's a mammoth deal but Leao's quality makes it look a bargain.

The negotiations between the 23-year-old's agent Jorge Mendes and the club have been going on for a few months and weren't easy. With Leao's old deal to run until June 2014, Milan directors and fans were starting to worry that their star's head would be turned by the reported interest of Real Madrid and Chelsea. However, they can now breathe easy, knowing their most exciting player is there to stay.

One more aspect of the contract that makes director Paolo Maldini and director of football Ricky Massara happy is that Leao's release clause of $165 million has been removed. It gives Milan the upper hand in any future negotiations with potential bidders - of which there are likely to be many.

Sporting Clube de Portugal, Leao's former club, demanded $18 million as compensation because of the way the forward departed the club in 2018. That time, Lille thought they got the youngster on a free transfer, but it turned out the Portuguese giants were due a transfer fee. Milan feared that they would have to pay to the Portuguese, but the court decided that Lille must pay they dues after all. That decision gave Milan the freedom to offer a new deal to the speedy goalscorer and forget about his previous transfer dealings.

Giroud promises to be at 110% against Inter, stating he loves those big games

Leao, who has earned 18 Portugal caps, has so far this season registered 13 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances for Milan. I Rossoneri won the title last season and are in the UEFA Champions League semi-final this year. They are slowly getting their old groove back - and Rafa Leao is an important piece of the puzzle.