Rafael Leão Leaves AC Milan for Galatasaray After Seven Seasons and 291 Appearances
AC Milan have confirmed Rafael Leão's permanent transfer to Galatasaray after seven seasons, 291 appearances and 80 goals. The fee is reported at around €38m rising with add-ons, with Milan retaining a sell-on clause of roughly 20 per cent.
Published 30 Aug 2026Updated 16 Oct 20264 min read
AC Milan confirmed on Sunday that Rafael Leão has joined Galatasaray on a permanent transfer, ending seven seasons at San Siro. "AC Milan announces the permanent transfer of Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão to Galatasaray Spor Kulübü," the club said, adding that it "thanks Rafa for the professionalism and passion shown in the Rossoneri shirt over these seven seasons together."
Milan disclosed no financial terms. The fee has been reported at around €38m, rising with add-ons: Daily Sabah and AFP put it at €38m, Di Marzio described a package worth €45m, and other outlets have reported €43m. Leão has signed a four-year contract in Istanbul, reported to be worth €10m a year, and per Galatasaray's statement Milan retain a sell-on clause of roughly 20 per cent of the profit on his next move.
The end of a long argument
For most of those seven seasons Leão was the most gifted footballer at the club and the most exasperating. He leaves with 291 appearances and 80 goals in Milan colours, a return the club framed around two honours in its farewell: the 2021/22 Scudetto and the 2024 Italian Super Cup. He was the forward who made a functional Milan side unpredictable.
The argument was always about the rest of it. As Milan's competitive position slipped, the conversation around him hardened from how do we build around this player to why does this not happen more often. A fee reported at around €38m for a forward who not long ago carried a release clause running into nine figures says where his stock ended up. Clubs do not pay a premium for potential twice.
The tell is the sell-on clause. Milan negotiating roughly 20 per cent of the profit on Leão's next transfer is not the behaviour of a club that believes it has offloaded a spent asset. It is the behaviour of one that suspects a change of scenery and a lower weight of expectation might finally produce the player it waited seven years for, and wants to be paid if it does.
Why Galatasaray is not a step down
The instinct is to read a move from Serie A to the Süper Lig as a retreat. The details argue otherwise. Galatasaray are four-time reigning Turkish champions and have qualified for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, drawn from Pot 3 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday 27 August. That competition begins on 8-10 September: 36 clubs, eight matchdays, 144 matches, with the final in Madrid on 5 June 2027.
He also arrives in an attack that already carries weight. Victor Osimhen and Leroy Sané are reported to be among his new team-mates, a forward line few clubs outside Europe's wealthiest could assemble. The reported €10m a year is a salary Milan were never going to match for a player they had decided to sell. Aston Villa were linked before he chose Istanbul. Galatasaray offered Champions League football, a title-winning squad and the money.
It's a tough moment saying goodbye to my teammates after seven years.— Rafael Leão, speaking on Friday 28 August
Leão said that on Friday, after watching Milan beat Venezia 2-0 in Serie A Round 2. His former club have won both of their opening league games.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Rafael Leão |
| Move | AC Milan to Galatasaray, permanent, announced 30 August 2026 |
| Reported fee | Around €38m rising with add-ons; reports range €38m to €45m; Milan disclosed no terms |
| Contract | Four years, reported at €10m per year |
| Sell-on clause | About 20% of the profit on his next transfer, per Galatasaray |
| Milan record | 291 appearances, 80 goals in seven seasons |
| Honours cited by Milan | 2021/22 Scudetto, 2024 Italian Super Cup |
| Galatasaray | Four-time reigning Turkish champions; Pot 3 in the 27 August Champions League draw |
Key numbers
- 291: Leão appearances for AC Milan
- 80: goals in a Milan shirt
- 7: seasons at San Siro
- 4: years on his Galatasaray contract
- 20%: profit share Milan keep on his next transfer
- 8-10 September: Champions League league phase begins
What happens next
The summer transfer window closes on Tuesday 1 September 2026 at 23:00 BST, harmonised across the Premier League, EFL, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, which leaves Milan roughly 48 hours to reinvest any of the fee. Replacing Leão is not a like-for-like exercise: nobody obvious on the market does what he did on his best days, and nobody already at Milan did it on the days he did not.
For Leão the schedule is immediate. Galatasaray's Champions League campaign starts inside a fortnight and the Süper Lig season is already running. The verdict on this transfer will not be delivered in Milan, but over the next eight European matchdays, in a shirt almost nobody in Italy expected him to wear.
AC Milan and Serie A: where to watch
Milan carry on without him, and Round 2 leaves the Rossoneri on two wins from two. Serie A broadcast rights are split by territory, so the channels carrying Milan in Italy are not the ones carrying them in the UK or the US. The same applies to Leão's new life, with the Süper Lig running and the Champions League league phase starting on 8-10 September. Kick-off times and country-by-country TV listings for Serie A are on OneLightScore.
Where to watchSee the full watch guideThe Serie A table above updates throughout every matchday, so you can follow how Milan cope without him.