AC Milan’s preseason officially begins on Monday: Everything you need to know

AC Milan’s 2025-26 preseason will, in many respects, officially get underway at the Milanello training complex on Monday 7 June.

While players showed up in various combinations from Friday to undergo fitness tests and do some gym work, the actual beginning of the preparations for the upcoming season is indeed tomorrow.

Massimiliano Allegri will of course be the man calling the shots, and it is expected that sporting director Igli Tare will also be present, in addition to of course the many new members of the coaching staff.

So, with that being said, what can Milan fans expect to see on the official day one of the 2025-26 preseason campaign?

A ‘new’ base

The first thing to note is that Milanello is no longer actually just called ‘Milanello’ any more, at least not officially. The news emerged on Sunday that the club have signed a deal to have a naming rights partner for the first time ever.

Clivet are the company that they have the agreement with, so from the first day of training for the new season, it will officially be known as ‘Centro Sportivo Milanello powered by Clivet’. Not a mouthful at all.

Who are Clivet? In their own words: “Clivet are an Italian company with over 25 years experience on research and development of innovative specialised air conditioning systems for different destinations.

“Their specialised systems simplify the design and installation work, improve the control of the entire system, reduce the environmental impact and, at the same time, optimise the initial investment, reduce running costs, increasing the building’s energy rating and therefore its value on the market.”

As part of the new agreement, Clivet also becomes the Sleeve Partner of AC Milan’s Training Kit, with its logo appearing on the sleeves of the official training gear worn by the men’s and women’s first teams, Milan Futuro, and the men’s Primavera squad.

The schedule for the day

The players will of course arrive at the training ground in the morning, and it is the beginning of a long stretch of double sessions that are intended to get the squad in peak fitness ahead of the season beginning.

The first training session of the new sporting year will take place in the morning behind closed doors at Milanello. A few hours earlier, at 13:00 CEST at Casa Milan, a press conference to present the new coach Allegri is scheduled.

Then, the coach will head back to Carnago (where the training complex is based) for an evening training session, scheduled for 18:00 CEST. The latter one will be one open to the public, with the Milan fans present.

Which players will be there?

Matteo Gabbia was the first to arrive at Milanello on Friday, even before the coach. He was followed by Pobega, Emerson Royal, Ricci, Bondo, Colombo, Nava, Terracciano, Bartesaghi, Okafor, Comotto, Vos, Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Torriani, Magni, Fofana and Thiaw.

Then Pulisic, Tomori, Musah, Torriani arrived over the weekend, whilst Leao, Pavlovic, Saelemaekers, and Maignan will be the last to join up with the team. They were given a few extra days off after the end of their international duties.

The players called up but who have not yet arrived are expected in Carnago by midnight on Sunday, but there will also be some rather noticeable absentees, and at the discretion of the Rossoneri as a club.

Theo Hernandez, Ismael Bennacer, Yacine Adli and Devis Vasquez have additional days of vacation. The full-back is now close to signing with Al-Hilal, with the final details to be sorted out at the beginning of the week.

The other three are leaving, with Adli and Vasquez told to train with Milan Futuro (from July 15) as they are not part of the first team plans. Luka Modric will sign after the Club World Cup, and Santi Gimenez will get some more time off when he is done with Mexico in the Gold Cup.

Allegri’s ground rules

For the preseason training camp, Max Allegri has already given some guidelines to follow, which he believes will be simple but significant in creating the right kind of environment to win.

The players must have breakfast at Milanello, then a double training session (one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening, in order to make use of the cooler temperatures). Finally, the team will also have dinner together, again at the training ground.

The coach has left the option for the players to spend the night with their respective families or to stay at Milanello. It is a a choice at the discretion of the individuals, who must however return to Carnago the next day for breakfast together.

Then there are the ten commandments that La Gazzetta dello Sport claim Allegri wishes to establish, in order to work on the mentality to the team.

➤ Forget last season and start from zero.
➤ Rediscover AC Milan DNA, and the desire to win
➤ The team must be the first thought.
➤ Double training sessions from day one.
➤ Without Europe, hard work during the week.
➤ No lateness, or you will be out of the squad.
➤ No phones at meetings, meals or in the dressing room.
➤ Watch your weight: having breakfast and lunch at Milanello is mandatory.
➤ Be a tough team and concede the fewest goals.
➤ Always make the simplest choice on the pitch.

Curva Sud absence

The Curva Sud have announced that they will not be present at Milanello on Monday for the official start of AC Milan’s preseason, via a statement they put out on social media.

“Tomorrow the Curva Sud will not be present at the gathering in Milanello. We thank all the people who stopped by yesterday, even just to say hello, for a beer, to breathe in a bit of that MILANISMO and see banners and flags that have long been forbidden to us at the stadium… AVANTI ULTRAS, AVANTI MILANISTI!” it reads.

It is the second straight raduno that the Curva have decided to avoid attending. They were not there one year ago either to support Paulo Fonseca and the team, explaining their decision in a statement at the time.