Manchester City are supposedly chasing the signature of 19-year-old Rafael Leao, who has been dubbed the ‘next Ronaldo’.

Leao is one of Portugal’s hottest footballing prospects, and is highly rated around Sporting Lisbon who have valued him at £23m.

However, the Primeira Liga side could be set to lose their starlet for free, if he joins the growing list of players who have terminated their contracts at the club by activating the ‘just cause’ clause.

It comes after the club’s fans attacked the training ground last month, with several members of Sporting’s squad already making themselves free agents. The likes of Rui Patricio, William Carvalho, Gelson Martins, Bruno Fernandes and Bas Dost could be joined by Leao.

Leao has represented Portugal at five different youth levels and could follow a similar path to his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo, by swapping Lisbon for Manchester.

It is believed that both Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested in the youngster, who would all have to pay a small compensation fee to Sporting to avoid any legal issues surrounding the player terminating his own contract.