RAFAEL LEAO is at the centre of a hilarious transfer tug-of-war between Manchester United, Arsenal, Coventry City and non-league FC Clacton… according to Wikipedia.
The AC Milan winger, 23, has attracted plenty of transfer attention from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and the Red Devils.
And according to one cheeky fan, a secret transfer was sealed to take Leao to Old Trafford this morning.
The prankster managed to edit the Portugal star’s Wikipedia page to say he had joined United in 2022 but is yet to make an appearance for his new club.
However, they made a slight error by suggesting he made the switch in 2022 – because the transfer window does not open until January 1, 2023.
The page was quickly corrected back to restoring Leao as an AC Milan, much to the delight of the San Siro faithful.
But that was by no means the end of the drama as his page was still edited to add Leao’s nickname as Betinho.
That came after his compatriot and third-tier player was somehow named on the Premier League website in the United squad as their new No11.
The blunder caused much hilarity of social media – and even Betinho saw the funny side as he joined in with the fun.
And in a further twist, the hacker managed to change Leao’s employers to crisis-club Coventry with a superb return of nine goals in just six Championship matches.
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Leao also had very brief stints with Arsenal, Nepali side Manang Marsyangdi Club, Exeter City and even Essex Senior League side FC Clacton as the brilliant battle raged on for the £86million-rated star.
Leao, though, remains at AC Milan for now.
Reports suggest City may be willing to offer Jack Grealish in a swap transfer to land the former Lille ace.
However, the 27-year-old’s £300,000-per-week Etihad wages may well put Milan off.
Leao is focused on his return to action with Milan on January 4 – but admitted he may well be open to a switch and has been enjoying watching Arsenal a lot this term.
Asked about a possible transfer to a new league, the ex-Lille ace said: “Yes, in the future.
“But now, I’m 100 per cent focused on Milan.
“I’m at a top club and I’m under contract. I also like the city.
“I’ve seen a lot of games this year, I like Arsenal, I think they play very well.”
AC Milan chief executive Paulo Maldini is confident his club do not have to sell from a financial perspective – but admitted every player has a price tag.
The former defender said on Leao: “He is a player of the highest level.
“But not only him, also others have received offers.
“If they show up anyway we have to see how to do it even if we don’t need to sell, our financial accounts are okay.
“But the players that cannot be sold now no longer exist.”
