Rafael Leao Denies Negative Influence Claims from Coach Amorim

Rafael Leao has publicly rejected claims that new Milan coach Ruben Amorim considers him a “negative influence” in the dressing room, firing back on social media with a blunt message: “You are lying”.

The Portugal forward rarely posts on X, which made his intervention all the more striking. He broke his usual silence after seeing a post repeat a line first reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, suggesting Amorim viewed him as a disruptive figure and was worried about his impact on the squad’s mood.

Leao did not let it slide. Replying directly, he wrote: “Maybe because you are lying”, and added three laughing-face emojis for emphasis, turning a rumour into a very public denial.

The 25-year-old is absent from today’s friendly against Manchester United, but that absence is down to a minor injury, not any disciplinary issue or clash with the coach.

Off the pitch, his future remains wide open. Milan and Leao have spent the summer listening for serious offers, yet only tentative proposals have arrived so far, and all from Turkey: Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce have tested the waters.

Those bids have fallen well short of Milan’s original demands. The Rossoneri initially set the price at 50 million euros plus 10 million in add-ons, a figure none of the Turkish clubs came close to matching.

Now the stance in Milan is softening. The club are prepared to lower their expectations and could accept around 40 million euros.

If someone finally meets that number, the debate over Leao’s “influence” may quickly move from the dressing room to the transfer market.