More Clubs Join Race to Sign Man City Target Rafael Leao As PSG & Spurs Monitor Sporting CP Star

Paris Saint-Germain and ​Tottenham Hotspur have joined the long list of clubs reportedly interested in signing 18-year-old Sporting CP forward Rafael Leao. 

​Manchester City seemed to be leading the race to sign the Portuguese starlet after it was reported that the club were willing to pay as much as £22.25m for Leao.​ 

Real Madrid and Manchester United were said to also be in the fray and ready to battle City for the forward's signature.

​Calciomercato are now reporting that PSG and Spurs are the latest teams to throw their hats into the ring in the race to sign the 18-year-old in the summer. 

Leao made his Primeira Liga debut last month as a substitute in Sporting's 2-0 win over C.D. Feirense. At the start of March, Leao was again a substitute for his side's match against Porto. The 18-year-old came off the bench in place of the injured Seydou Doumbia and scored within two minutes of coming on. In doing so, he became Sporting's youngest ever player to score a goal against Porto. 

Before making his full debut for Sporting, Leao was making waves for Sporting CP's B team in the LigaPro league, Portugal's second highest division. The 18-year-old scored six goals in 11 league appearances for Sporting CP B, where he began to draw some attention from foreign clubs.

Sporting extended Leao's contract last October, which will keep him at the club until 2022. According to reports from the ​Sun, this new deal includes a release clause of £53m.