MI Exclusive: Sebastião Sousa Pinto on Leão & Transfer Targets

🚨 ACMILANINSIDE EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Sebastião Sousa Pinto, the Portuguese “Fabrizio Romano”. Rafa Leão’s future, the António Silva opportunity, and under-the-radar gems

While Casa Milan navigates a turbulent corporate restructuring with Massimo Calvelli temporarily holding executive powers and the Curva Sud is in open revolt against Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimović, the AC Milan Inside editorial team has secured an international journalistic scoop.

We spoke exclusively with Sebastião Sousa Pinto, widely regarded as the go-to transfer market expert for Portuguese football. We analyzed Rafael Leão’s future following his shocking statements to SportTv, Milan’s genuine defensive targets, and the top young Lusitanian talents to watch for the 2026/27 season.

🎙️ THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

1) Do you see AC Milan still as a top destination for Portuguese players, or has the Premier League clearly overtaken them in recent years?

Sebastião Sousa Pinto: “AC Milan is always a top destination and is a top club for sure. The Premier League has a different weight in players’ minds nowadays, in general I’d say. It’s the best league in the world and everyone wants to go there, but obviously, if the project is right and the timing is great, Italian football and AC Milan are always an option for Portuguese players.”

2) Rafa Leão — from what you’re hearing, which club is most interested right now? Is it really Arsenal/Manchester United, or could there also be surprise options like Turkey (Fenerbahçe) or Saudi Arabia?

SSP: “I’d say the future of Rafa is open. There’s no club in concrete talks right now. I can see him in a Premier League club or outside the top 5 leagues, if I’m honest. It will depend on fees and timing, which are everything in the transfer market. His desire is to continue in Europe, but we’ll see.”

3) Which young Portuguese talents are you most excited about right now that could realistically fit a club like Milan?

SSP: “The one that comes to the top of my head is Rodrigo Mora (Porto’s 2007-born gem). He would fit more in the Spanish League, but I can see him playing in Italy one day. Not right now, but one day in his career, which is still so short but already so good. He moves really well in short spaces and can be good in Italian football. But probably fees right now could be difficult for Milan to pay.

I also see a striker that I think would be great for the future, and probably not many people would think about: Vivaldo Semedo, who was at Udinese and is now at Watford. Per minutes played, he’s one of the best goalscorers in the team. He’s really young, made all the Portugal youth teams, and is still there. He has characteristics close to Beto, who plays now for Everton and played at Udinese before, having a big impact.”

4) António Silva — he was on Milan’s radar, any update about him?

SSP: “For now, he’s entering his last contract year. It finishes in 2027 and Benfica have already opened talks for a contract renewal. Nothing is decided yet, but if he doesn’t extend, he’s leaving this summer, so he is definitely one to watch.“

5) Gonçalo Inácio — some rumors from Portuguese newspaper Record link him to Milan but he costs €40m, how much of this is true? Any other club interested in him?

SSP: “Gonçalo Inácio is always a player that brings interest from a lot of clubs. He’s still young but already plays with so much maturity for the many years he has already spent on the biggest stages. Milan can be looking at him, but nothing serious for now.“

6) Any other young Portuguese defender, midfielder or attacker you think Milan should seriously monitor as a potential “next big thing”?

SSP: “A player that didn’t leave Famalicão yet, but is a player that I could really see in Italian football, is Gustavo Sá (2004-born attacking midfielder). Highly talented player, linked with Italian clubs for a bit, but asking fees from Famalicão are taking away possible candidates. He was close in January to signing for Al-Ittihad.”

7) Is there any underrated Portuguese player under the radar that could explode in the next 12 months?

SSP: “Tiago Gabriel from Lecce, for example (2004-born defender). Probably in Italy he’s talked about a lot—you know better than me—but I don’t hear much about him internationally. I think he deserves more credit and I believe he could have a big move soon. We’ll see.”

8) From what you’re hearing, which league is currently the most attractive for Portugal’s top talents — Premier League, La Liga, or something else?

SSP: “It depends on the style of play of every player. Spain and England, I’d say, are the ones that are more talked about.”

10) On a personal note — how did you get into covering the Portuguese market and football scouting scene? Any story or moment that pushed you into this world (even a small anecdote)?

SSP: “It was in 2020, during Covid time when everyone was at home. Since a young age, I have been very passionate about how everything happens backstage, so I started an Instagram page, just posting news and giving credit. At that time, I didn’t know anybody and did it for fun. Just in the first few months, I discovered that I had found something that I really liked to do. I started to see everything in a different way and began to get my own personal insights.”

🧠 AC Milan Inside Analysis: Matching Sebastião’s Insights with the Rangnick-Glasner Revolution

Sebastião Sousa Pinto’s insights align perfectly with the tactical overhaul currently taking shape at San Siro. Should Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimović hand the club’s future to the Ralf Rangnick – Oliver Glasner duo, the Portuguese pipeline could become a central focus:

The António Silva Opportunity: With his contract expiring in 2027 and renewal talks stalling at Benfica, the 2003-born centre-back represents an ideal target for Rangnick’s high-efficiency scouting model. A fast, modern defender capable of managing large spaces, he would fit seamlessly into Glasner’s high-pressing 4-2-2-2.
Financing the Future via Leão: The confirmation that no concrete negotiations are underway, but that the Premier League and Saudi Arabia remain attentive, fits Milan’s baseline requirement: an evaluation close to €100m. Rangnick could split these funds to finalize Antonio Nusa from Leipzig and pursue intense, vertical profiles like Gustavo Sá.
The Vivaldo Semedo Profile: If Santiago Giménez departs upon receipt of a €25m bid, a young, physically dominant, and hungry forward like Semedo fits the exact archetype of a Red Bull-style system tailored for high physical output and continuous pressing.

🤝 Special Thanks to Sebastião

The editorial team at AC Milan Inside would like to express its sincere gratitude to Sebastião Sousa Pinto for his availability, kindness, and highly sharp insights. In a period of complex media narratives surrounding the Rossoneri, securing direct clarity from one of Portuguese football’s leading transfer experts is an invaluable resource for our community. Obrigado, Sebastião! We look forward to tracking the development of the Milan-Lisbon axis as the summer window approaches.