Rafael Leao will not have to pay a hefty fine to Sporting CP for terminating his contract and joining Lille for free in 2018. The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne sentenced that the French club should disburse €20M instead, overruling previous decisions. The Milan striker had been found guilty in the preceding degrees of justice.
The starlet was a risk of having to cough up 16.5M, but he was cleared. The CAS placed the blame on Lille for the transfer. At the time, Leao rescinded his pact with the Sporting CP club for just cause. The move later turned out to be baseless, Record reports. He bolted after some fans broke into the locker room and assaulted the players.
Milan had no role in the legal proceedings, although they always showed support for their striker. However, the resolution of the matter could help them finalize the extension they had been discussing with him, SportMediaset reports. Leao might lower his demands without a sword of Damocles hanging over him.
However, even though the parties are close, the signature might not come right away, Tuttomercatoweb informs. Lille will likely pursue an agreement with the attacker to split the bill. The forward could delay putting pen-to-paper with Milan. The Ligue 1 side, Sporting CP and Leao could try to reach an amicable agreement to settle the dispute for good. His monetary contribution would be tied to his salary. Therefore, he has an interest in striking a deal before getting a massive pay bump.