The Italian transfer window has come to an end, for this time. AC Milan, in addition to completing some signings, also focused a lot on sales this month as they said goodbye to six players.
The theme, by the looks of it, is to save as much money as possible. Certainly, Boban and Maldini managed to cut down the wage bill with their business this mercato. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the details of the sales.
Mattia Caldara
Deal: Loan, 18 months
Cost: €15m option to buy
Destination: Atalanta
The defender was the first to leave AC Milan this mercato, having failed to convince Stefano Pioli. Certainly, his adventure with the Rossoneri hasn’t been successful, mainly because of the injuries he has suffered.
Atalanta will have the option to option to sign him permanently after the loan is over, as a €15m buy-out clause gas been linked. According to MilanNews.it, Milan will also get a percentage from a future resale.
Pepe Reina
Deal: Loan, six months
Cost: –
Destination: Aston Villa
Milan were keen to part ways with the Spaniard this month, due to the high salary that he receives. Therefore, a loan to Aston Villa was the perfect solution as they will pay the salary for the six-month period.
Fabio Borini
Deal: Free transfer
Cost: –
Destination: Hellas Verona
Just like the goalkeeper, the versatile Italian was sitting on a relatively hefty salary. Milan thus decided to terminate his contract, in agreement with the player, of course. Borini has since joined Hellas Verona, signing a six-month deal initially.
Suso
Deal: Loan, 18 months
Cost: €21m (+€3m bonuses) option/obligation to buy
Destination: Sevilla
Having experienced a disappointing first half to the season, Milan decided to sell the former Liverpool man, who will guarantee a full capital gain for the club. Sevilla – after intense negotiations – struck a deal with the Rossoneri for a loan.
Suso will spend 18 months on loan at Sevilla, but the move will most likely be permanent. As reported by CalcioeFinanzo (via MilanNews.it), there is a €21m (plus €3m bonuses) buy-out clause included which will become mandatory if certain conditions are met.
Kris Piatek
Deal: Permanent transfer
Cost: €27m
Destination: Hertha Berlin
The Polish international failed to replicate his first six months with the club this season, and thus Milan decided to sell him while the interest was still hot. Reaching an agreement with Hertha Berlin at €27m (via Transfermarkt.com), they avoided making a loss.
Considering how well he did in his first Serie A season, it’s a shame that it didn’t work out at the San Siro in the end. Perhaps, it was the curse of shirt number 9 that took him down.
Ricardo Rodriguez
Deal: Loan, six months
Cost: –
Destination: PSV Eindhoven
Eager to gain consistent playing time ahead of the Euros, the Swiss international was the last to leave Milan this mercato, joining Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. And since Theo Hernandez is the starter, the Rossoneri didn’t object the departure.
Initially, reports suggested that a buy-out clause of some sort would be included. However, the Rossoneri’s official statement seems to suggest that it’s a dry loan after all, although the left-back is still likely to leave in the summer.
