Rafael Leão arrives in Istanbul ahead of move to Galatasaray from AC Milan

Rafael Leão has arrived in Istanbul ahead of a switch from Galatasaray from AC Milan.

Sources told ESPN's Bruno Andrade on Friday that the Turkish club had agreed to a fee of €45 million ($52m), with Leão set to sign a four-year contract.

Aston Villa had also been pursuing the forward but, while Leão was keen on joining the Premier League club, they failed to agree a fee with Milan, sources said.

The Portugal international was not a part of the Mian squad that beat Venezia 2-0 in the Serie A on Friday.

In a video posted to Galatasaray's social media channels, Leão -- on a plane, wearing a Gala scarf -- said he was looking forward to meeting the fans.

Leão, 27, has been an important figure at Milam since joining from Lille in 2019. He helped Milan ⁠win the Serie A title in 2021-22 and the Italian Super Cup in the ​2024-25 season.

He scored 80 goals and providing ​65 assists in 291 appearances across all competitions for Milan.

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Speaking at Atatürk Airport as Galatasaray fans gathered to get a glimpse of him, Leão said:

"I am very grateful to Galatasaray fans for coming here. Since June, the president and deputy president have also been pushing hard. They tried very hard to make this happen.

"I am very excited right now. I am excitedly waiting to play matches. [Victor] Osimhen and I are already good friends. I think we can achieve very good things both in the league and in the Champions League."