Jorge Mendes Explores Rafael Leao Swap for Ruben Dias

Jorge Mendes is trying to rip up the transfer script again.

According to Sport Mediaset, the super agent is exploring a sensational swap that would send Rafael Leao to Manchester City, with cash on top, in exchange for Ruben Dias joining Milan.

Mendes at the heart of Milan’s rebuild

Milan’s summer has increasingly become the Jorge Mendes show. He has already delivered new coach Ruben Amorim, brought in Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain to lead the line, and helped secure Diego Moreira from RC Strasbourg.

On this latest mission, Mendes reportedly spent the entire afternoon inside Casa Milan, the club’s headquarters, working on the next major move.

That move, Sport Mediaset claim, could involve one of the club’s biggest stars.

Leao solution could open the door to Dias

Milan have been looking for a way out of the Rafael Leao stalemate. His contract runs until 2028, but the market around him has cooled. No club has yet stepped up to meet the €50m plus add-ons that the Rossoneri are understood to want.

Mendes’ idea, as reported, is to use Leao as the key to unlock Ruben Dias.

The proposal under discussion would see Leao head to Manchester City, with Milan also sending a cash payment, to bring the Portugal international centre-back to San Siro.

Defensive leader for Amorim’s system

Milan have already moved for one defender, signing Mario Gila from Lazio, yet the back line remains a priority area. Amorim wants defenders who can read his football, handle space, and build from the back. Dias fits that profile as a commanding organiser and ball-playing leader.

The Manchester City defender turned 29 in May and still sits at the peak of his career. He joined City from Benfica in 2020 for €71.6m and is tied to the Premier League champions until June 2029.

That long contract and his status under Pep Guardiola make any deal complex, but his name has already been floated in other heavyweight rumours, including a possible move to Real Madrid this summer.

For now, it is Mendes pushing the idea: Leao out, Dias in, cash on the table. If Milan and City ever agree to those terms, it would reshape the spine of both teams in a single stroke.