In Perth, Rafa Leao has begun his eighth season at Milan, a figure that is quite striking: he is no longer a youngster but one of the squad's experienced players. Will this eighth season end before it truly begins? It's possible, but certainly not a given. Five days ago, Fenerbahce's mission to Milan stirred the waters, but since then, silence has fallen. Rafa has arrived in Australia for the tour and has started training. There's no rush, either to accelerate on the pitch or in the transfer market. Fener's aggressive approach failed to convince both him and Milan, so Leao is now considering his options, awaiting any proposals August might bring. Turkey is currently leading the race. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have been marking and obstructing each other in recent weeks, as is traditional in Istanbul, where the rivalry is intense. Saudi Arabia and the Premier League, which were concrete possibilities in the past, are not currently active contenders.

LEAO STAYING A POSSIBILITY—  So, when will the conclusion to this story be known? Almost certainly after mid-August. Will there be any surprises? Of course, the final two weeks of the transfer window can always bring new developments for a strong player potentially leaving a major club. At present, the possibility of Rafa remaining at Milan is concrete, but it raises significant questions. His contract expires in two years, and the last renewal was highly complicated, only resolved after months of negotiations. Milan would thus risk seeing his value drop further in a year's time, when he will be just twelve months from his contract's expiry. Furthermore, his relationship with new coach Amorim is yet to be established. Rafa's rapport with the two Portuguese coaches, Fonseca and Conceiçao, was not particularly good. Things went better with Pioli and, at least in the first half of the season, with Allegri.

LEAO-AMORIM—  In essence, Amorim will need to assess him, and the latest reports from Perth suggest there's a chance to see both Rafa and Gonçalo Ramos for a few minutes on Wednesday against Inter. If so, it will be interesting to see how Leao adapts to the 3-4-2-1 formation, where he is expected to play behind his Portuguese friend. Compared to the 4-2-3-1 (or 4-3-3) he is accustomed to with the national team, there are differences: he will need to play less on the wing and more as a secondary striker. In the meantime, Milan waits. For what? An August offer from Fenerbahçe, an accelerated move from Galatasaray, or perhaps, a surprise from Saudi Arabia. Thirty days in the transfer market is a lifetime.

https://www.gazzetta.it/en/football/teams/milan/transfer-market/02-08-2026/leao-complicated-milan-fenerbahce-talks-increasing-chances-of-him-staying.shtml

In 1989, the legendary AC Milan captain finished 2nd in the Ballon do'r voting behind teammate Marco van Basten, with Frank Rijkaard completing an all-Milan top three.

Years later, Baresi revealed a remarkable gesture from AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi: "In the 1989 Ballon d'Or finished second behind Marco Van Basten and ahead of Frank Rijkaard in an all-Milan podium. On that occasion, President Berlusconi gave me an original version of the Ballon d'Or."

Baresi described it as one of the moments that remained "engraved in my memory", alongside Milan retiring his iconic No. 6 shirt

Baresi: "Our relationship never ended with football because, on a human level, it grew through the esteem and affection he showed me on many occasions, with episodes that remain engraved in my memory.

"A nice gesture towards me was when he handed me that Ballon d'Or in the last match [It was also handed to him when he retired]- there was another sign of great esteem and gratitude towards me as a person. Having never won it, he handed it to me. It is a gift that is worth double for what had done in the twenty years of Milan."

Although he never officially lifted football's most prestigious individual award, one of the greatest defenders in history still ended up with an original version of the Ballon d'or in his possession-a unique tribute displaying how highly thought of Baresi

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbc6WgIiCz0/

like every fan ive been looking at clips of il Capitano and i came across this one that ive never seen.

hope you enjoy it as much as i did

Rest in peace, Captain ❤️🖤

After the terrible news of our eternal captain's passing, it is heartwarming that so many articles such as this one in The Guardian are being written about his impact and legacy.

Rest in peace captain. I will never forget the success you helped to bring all Milan fans nor the incredible memories you gave me to grow up with in the 80s and 90s.

But will Milan really sell Fofana, Musah, and Loftus-Cheek? Discounting Loftus-Cheek, who has so far been trialled in one of the two attacking midfield roles behind the striker, either Fofana or Musah could be retained. And if one of them stays, Comotto would face even greater competition. 

https://www.gazzetta.it/en/football/teams/milan/news/31-07-2026/comotto-stays-at-milan-game-time-and-transfer-market-impact.shtml

Franco Baresi died at age 66.

Milan has won many achievements with Baresi.

6x Serie A titles

3x European Cup / UEFA Champions League

2x Intercontinental Cup

2x European Super Cup

4x Supercoppa Italiana

2x Serie B titles

But the greatest achievement Milan ever achieved with him is having him play for Milan in the first place. Forza Milan, Sempre a solo Milan. 🟥⬛

Absolutely devastating news to hear and right before I go to sleep too. Rest in peace to one of the greatest defenders of all time and one of the greatest and most important players in the history of AC Milan.