Barcelona do not consider €75 million-rated Serie A speedster as a priority target | OneFootball

Even though the summer transfer window is a few months away, planning is already underway at FC Barcelona to strengthen the squad for the next season.

Signing a new left-winger is one of the targets for the Catalan heavyweights in the next window – something that was confirmed by sporting director Deco himself in a recent interview.

Barça wanted to reinforce the position last summer as well – apparent by their interest in Nico Williams and Rafael Leao, while they also tried to address the matter in January but failed in their pursuit of Marcus Rashford.

Heading into the summer, three names – Luis Diaz (Liverpool), Leao (AC Milan), and Alexander Isak (Newcastle United) – are being touted as the top targets for Barcelona.

Rafael Leao not a priority

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, as things stand, Barcelona do not view Rafael Leao as a priority target but rather consider him as a market opportunity should AC Milan fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

Not a priority target for Barcelona. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Leao has admirers at Barça but there are some concerns that his progression might have stalled at Milan this season, where he has now been for close to six years after arriving from Lille in 2019.

Indeed, the forward has suffered from inconsistent form this season and has been in and out of the team, first under Paulo Fonseca and now with Sergio Conceicao at the helm.

The fact that Jorge Mendes, who has strong ties at Barcelona, is no longer his agent also plays a factor.

But at 25, the Portuguese winger has his best years ahead of him and there are no doubts about his quality – which was on full display in this season’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Milan, for their part, are reportedly open to selling Leao in the summer and would be willing to accept a sum lower than his €175 million release clause.

However, as things stand, he does not appear to be the priority target for Barcelona, who seem to be leaning towards Luis Diaz or Alexander Isak.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.