One of the most in-demand strikers in football: Rafael Leão - where will he go?

Rafael Leão, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to come through Sporting’s acclaimed academy, is believed to be available for 40 million euros - and there is interest from across Europe for the 20-year old.

He may have only arrived at Lille last summer, but Leão had an impressive impact at the French club - and has already been dubbed the “Portuguese Mbappe” by parts of the media.

In total, he bagged 8 goals and 2 assists in 26 league appearances, a decent return in what was his first season at the club - and his first season as a first-team regular of a senior team.

Indeed, Rafael Leão demonstrated his pace, physicality and composure last season, showing all the attributes you look for in a forward player, and clearly has both the finishing and link-up play to serve as both a quality striker and winger.

It means he possesses the ability the like of which is rarely seen in such a young striker, and has since been linked with some of the biggest clubs across the continent.

Lille’s president Gerard Lopez has hinted at Leão’s exit, stating that the club have received “important offers” for the talented forward, also commenting that the finances are something his French outfit can’t compete with: “If we talk about salaries, we cannot compete.”

Hence, it is widely anticipated that Leão will be on the move this summer.

And reports from Italy indicate that four clubs have already made a formal approach for the Portuguese striker, with both Marco Silva’s Everton and Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves actively considering the signing of the Portugal U19 international.

It is no coincidence that both clubs are managed by a Portuguese coach, with both Silva and Nuno well aware of the potential and expectation surrounding the former Sporting youngster.

Meanwhile, Valencia are another side that have made an offer for Leão, according to RMC Sport, while Italian outfit Napoli are the other cited club.

And that’s not all. Roma are another club deemed to be very interested in signing Leão, while Inter Milan are another potential destination should their attempts to bring in Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United fail.

It means that Leão is very much spoilt for choice, with a plethora of option available to him, and he can pick a club that ideally suits his priorities. He can choose a club offering Champions League football, one that offers him the most game time, one that offers him the highest salary - or could even stay at the club.

Where is the most likely destination? Everton seems like a very good fit, the Toffees lacking something of depth in the out-and-out striker departure, making him a perfect recruit for the Merseyside club, who could also offer him a great deal of game time.

Valencia are another that seem highly plausible, another club that could offer a good deal of game time, while they have a track record of signing Portuguese players.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are also well in contention should they follow through with their interest; they are known to be in the market for a striker, currently courting Patrick Cutrone of AC Milan, though that move is still far from certain. If that were to fail, a move for Rafael Leão or Andre Silva seems highly possible.

In any case, in a day where 19-year old João Felix is sold for a monstrous 120 million euros, the prospect of being able to sign Leão for just a third of that price is difficult to comprehend, and to turn down - and clubs from across the continent are therefore, unsurprisingly, set to take Lille up on their offer.

Lille stadium. Photo author: Liondartois. License link.