Leao ‘one of the best in the world when he’s at his peak’, says Modric

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Luka Modric believes Rafael Leao is “one of the best in the world when he’s at his peak” and wants to see him stay at AC Milan this season.

Leao has said he wants a “new challenge” this term and is seeking a move away from Milan, though he is yet to find a move that he wants to take on.

As such, speculation is rife that he could end up staying at San Siro for another season, rumours boosted by his inclusion in Ruben Amorim’s pre-season squad.

Modric, who recently signed a one-year contract extension with Milan, was asked if he had any advice to help Leao in this situation, but the 40-year-old only weighed in to say he hoped they would still be playing alongside each other in the upcoming campaign.

“I don’t want to give him advice,” Modric told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Rafa is mature enough to know what’s best for him. He knows how much the fans and the club love him. He’s a great player, and it’s great to have him here. He just has to work hard and give his best for Milan, as he always has done.

“Maybe he’s not coming off the best season; he had a couple of injuries and wasn’t feeling at his best physically, but he’s still a great footballer.

“In my opinion, if he were to stay, it would be fantastic for all of us because he’s one of the best in the world when he’s at his peak.

“I hope he does well, finds his feet again and helps us to have a great year, because I’ll repeat it: He’s a great player.

“I’d like him to stay, but we’ll see what happens. As I said, he and the club will decide what the best solution will be, but as a footballer, of course, I want Rafa in my team.”

It finishes all square here in Perth pic.twitter.com/qeFUJk5iqQ

— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 5, 2026

Leao returned for Milan in their 1-1 friendly draw with rivals Inter at Optus Stadium, coming on in the 63rd minute.

He managed a team-high nine final-third entries and 13 passes in the final third after his introduction, and Amorim says Leao is not being treated any differently despite his situation.

“I think the same things I said in the press conference,” Amorim told Sky Sport Italia after the draw with Inter. “If you are a Milan player, you are lucky, and therefore, of course, you need to enjoy that.

“He is enjoying himself, but he is a team player; he helped the team, and that is important – the focus on the team.

“I evaluate Leao the same way I do [Christopher] Nkunku, [Francesco] Camarda and the others. Camarda worked so hard.”

Christopher Nkunku scored a late penalty to secure Milan a 1-1 draw with Inter, cancelling out Federico Dimarco’s opener.

With many of their World Cup stars returning from extended breaks, Amorim’s squad is getting back up to full strength, and he is pleased with the improvements he has seen so far.

“It was important that we didn’t lose, but even more important is to keep improving as a team,” Amorim said of the result.

“We started very well, pressing high, but Inter have a lot of experience; they understood straight away what we were doing, and then we struggled at the end of the first half and start of the second.

“There were improvements in the last 20 minutes of the match. It was a good test, but we need more games to test all the players.

“I think you can see that we’re trying to move the ball quickly, to build from the back, but without taking the same risks that we took in Glasgow against Celtic.

“It was a good game in fitness terms too, even if we can improve a lot there as well.”

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