GdS: The 10 pillars Allegri plans to build Milan’s 2026-27 squad around

While there is a lot of talk about the potential for major changes in the AC Milan squad ahead of next season, some must remain.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, Massimiliano Allegri feels that Milan already have a solid foundation to build around. Ten players are guaranteed to stay next season, key players around which the coach will build the team.

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To sustain an ambitious Serie A campaign and to try go far in the Champions League, the transfer market will also need a boost, in terms of both numbers and squad quality. In the meantime, there are ten building blocks on which to build a top-level team.

Allegri’s chosen ten

The list starts with Mike Maignan, one of the few leaders of this year’s Milan. He earned the permanent captain’s armband and signed a renewal until 2031, which was made official three months ago. In Serie A he is fourth for clean sheets, and next season he will remain the number one.

Pietro Terracciano is still undefeated this year and will remain as the back-up to Maignan. In September, he played against Bologna and Udinese, replacing the injured Maignan, and kept a clean sheet in each. Allegri believes he’s a man he can count on in times of need, especially given his experience. At 36, he is on course to taste the Champions League for the first time.

Over the past month, Zachary Athekame has become Allegri’s tactical weapon when he switches to a 4-3-3 mid-match. This is also because the Swiss is effectively the only natural right-back Milan have in their squad this year. He arrived in the summer for around €10m, and has shown enough to suggest that he deserves to stay, perhaps with an increasingly important role.

Last year Davide Bartesaghi was fighting to avoid relegation to Serie D with Milan Futuro: 365 days later, he probably didn’t expect to be ​​Milan’s starting left-back. He seized the spot from summer signing Pervis Estupinan and now is looking for another campaign at this level, hopefully leading his boyhood club out in Europe’s top competition.

At Christmas, Koni De Winter was in the crosshairs having largely been responsible for the Supercoppa defeat against Napoli, after four months spent studying Matteo Gabbia from the bench. Since then his rise has been near vertical: in 2026, the Belgian started 13 of 15 matches and has become arguably the most reliable defender. Allegri trusts him and it shows.

Matteo Gabbia is a Milan veteran by now, having grown up in the stands of San Siro with his grandparents, Gilberto and Adriana. He experienced a sense of heroism in deciding a derby in the 89th minute and his time at Villarreal helped his maturation. Now he is back from injury, and his spot for 2026-27 and beyond is not in doubt.

Strahinja Pavlovic is having the best season of his career. He’s never scored four goals in a single season and if he reaches five, he’d become the centre-back with the most goals in Milan’s history since 2000. His tactical improvement is evident, while he has Champions League experience, even facing Inter, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid. That will come in handy.

Adrien Rabiot is that man Milan can’t do without. In a world of ‘what ifs’, the Rossoneri would still be in the running for the Scudetto with Rabiot always on the pitch. Five goals and five assists in 25 appearances demonstrate one clear fact: when Rabiot scores or sets up a goal, Milan always win. His experience in the big nights will be crucial if a top four spot is secured.

Having returned from his second loan spell in consecutive years, Alexis Saelemaekers is back at Milan to stay. In December he renewed his contract until 2031 because Allegri is crazy about Alexis, a versatile player, skilled in various positions, with seven goal contributions this season. He has been used as a wing-back, full-back, attacking midfielder and tonight will start as a winger.

Finally, Christian Pulisic‘s situation remains unchanged despite his decline in recent months. Milan’s second-top scorer is having a difficult 2026, he hasn’t scored for AC Milan since the end of December, he lost the captain’s armband for the national team and has been the subject of gossip. His contract expires in 2027, but next year he’ll still be a key player in Allegri’s attack.

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