Manchester City offer contract to Sporting’s Rafael Leao

Manchester City have offered personal terms to Rafael Leao, according to Sunday Times.

Leao is one of the seven players who are having their contracts with Sporting Lisbon terminated, citing ‘just cause’ in their pursuit of termination after a group of 50 radical fans broke into the club’s training ground and attacked players and staff.

At the age of only 19, the talented forward made just four appearances in his first season with Sporting’s first team and all of them as a substitute, while he also occasionally played for their B side where he scored seven goals in 11 appearances in the Portuguese Segunda Liga.

Arriving as a free player, Leao would represent a small-risk investment for a club like Manchester City, and it would perhaps be interesting to see what a manager like Pep Guardiola can do to help his development as they seek to continue achieving top results in the long-term future.