Rafael Leao could be one of the most coveted young forwards in the transfer market this summer with a handful of Europe's top clubs eager to bolster their frontlines

Rio Ferdinand has forewarned Chelsea that the competition for AC Milan player Rafael Leao will include the biggest teams in the world. The 23-year-old forward was rumored to be moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but nothing came of it.

Since joining Milan in 2019, according to football.london, Leao has been attentively followed by the Blues. His contract with the Rossoneri is set to expire at the conclusion of the upcoming season. There are rumors that negotiations for a new contract between the Italian team and the Portugal international are still ongoing.

Speaking on BT Sport, Ferdinand revealed just how excited he is still see Leao in action against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-final. The former Manchester United defender said: "I saw him for 45 minutes at Chelsea, he was phenomenal. In a semi-final, it’s such a showpiece game to see a player of that calibre."

Leao and Reece James engaged in a fierce struggle in November, with the Blues defender coming out on top. Added Ferdinand: "Huge potential. No offense to AC Milan, but I'm sure one of the other big clubs in Europe will want to sign him at some point. All large clubs across the world will be vying for his signature at some point.

"In my opinion, everything is in place for someone like him to emerge from the pack and seize the spotlight. Tomorrow is when I'm going to visit him, I'm excited.

However, while Ferdinand may be excited to see Leao in action, the Portuguese star may not even appear at the San Siro on Wednesday night. The forward picked up a thigh injury inside the opening quarter of an hour against Lazio at the weekend, casting doubt over his availability.

Leao was later spotted training alone with a physio in Milan's open training session, while his teammates were put through their paces. Speaking to Sky Italia, as quoted by the Evening Standard, Stefano Pioli said: "Field work was scheduled for today.

"Tomorrow morning he’ll try to push and if he’s okay he will be present, otherwise he won’t. He could start, he could be able to play... and he may not even be on the bench.

"It will depend on the type of work he can do, because with his quality and characteristics he must be 100 per cent. Let's see, it's still open.”

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