Youssouf Fofana started AC Milan’s first game of the season on Sunday night, but is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.
Fofana got the nod in a three-man midfield as Milan beat Bari 2-0 to kick off their 2025-26 Coppa Italia campaign. He certainly seemed more at ease with a box-to-box role, having multiple efforts on goal and drawing some good saves, but also wasting some chances too.
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According to journalist Abdullah of the Saudi broadcaster Ariyadhiah, who is closely involved with Al-Ahli’s transfer dealings, there are three midfielders that are currently on their list and Fofana is one.
The Saudi Pro League side’s management are looking to sign one of Manuel Locatelli, Denis Zakaria or Fofana. They have begun negotiations with the three clubs to try acquire one of these players, and they would be included in the squad in place of ex-Milan man Franck Kessié.
The journalist goes on to add that there is no official or final agreement yet, but negotiations are ongoing with the trio over personal terms too.
Given how late it is in the window and that there has already been a lot of movement in midfield, it would surely have to be a big bid to make the Rossoneri falter.
Let’s get some cash and Kessie in a swap!
Even Saudis don’t want him anymore.
Kessie is the player we need most to bring balance to the midfield. That guy was our engine.
Okay so… Okafor and Fofana are linked with exits. Who are we going to replace them with? This is less and less depth. And we’re still stuck with a broken Bennacer and Adli.
Nobody. Its profit club now.They dont care about results. Im sure Leao will go next year and Pulisic. This season is for them to sale them good next year.
Only important is profit
Oh that’s cute. You have a crystal ball. Thanks for sharing your absolutely useless thoughts.
And why you think a ksa journalist shoud be accurate and not filling spaces more than this site SM itself to wright about anything and everything with zero journalism analysis. Why would any interest or idea just go through…. I will not give this one cent of accuracy
And why you think a ksa journalist should be accurate and not filling spaces more than this site SM itself to wright about anything and everything with zero journalism analysis. Why would any interest or idea just go through…. I will not give this one cent of accuracy
How about NO !
Depends on price. Would be absolutely hilarious if we got close to the Reijnders fee, just highlighting how cheap we sold the Serie A midfielder of the year.
Probably a third of the price Reijnders got sold.
We even got him higher than that.
give them Adli and Bennacer for the same price
Makes no sense given he’s a key piece to the midfield. Unless they’re about to table reinders money, find the door
35 mil and I will drive him to airport myself
40m
have to add the saudi tax 😉
Milan should ignore this immediately if they are serious they want to make impact this season
Serious about what? At America if you look theirs sports,only importans is profit. Result if come good if not,maybe will next year.
Same at our club now.Owners just think about profit.They dont care about value at football and what we learn and feal from past. They dont care if we was 18 if have big profit.
Mate, with respect, that’s not how you make profit from a sporting team. You raise its value. You keep slandering Americans, but the US is the country where the top baseball teams are run at huge loss in order to be a successful brand and increase the value of the asset.
The owners here are not going to take profit from a player sale to line their pockets. Worst case scenario it would go towards debt repayment but that’s highly unlikely.
Milan are running a football team. Yes, we’re doing it with the idea that the team is self-sustaining, and I like that personally. But many successful teams around the world sell players. The cleverest ones have improvements and replacements scouted already.
Plus, we have so many CMs at the moment. If you include Bennacer and Adli, both of whom we’re paying, I think we have 8? I don’t want Fofana to go, I like him, but we have Jashari, Modric, Ricci, RLC, Musah, Bennacer and Adli. Yes, first choices to leave are the latter two, but if this gave us the opportunity to invest in an area of bigger need then I’d understand.
And that investment doesn’t need to be instant. We don’t have to spend it just because we have it, we’re not a 5yo child. If the right players or value aren’t there then it makes sense to wait until they are.
You raise many good point. But Bennacer and Adli should be the ones leaving, because the first is literally always injured and the second doesn’t have what it takes.
About you talking.Look clubs who have results they not sell best players after 1 or 2 year. You live at dream,Milan now is club who only look profit
“At America if you look theirs sports,only importans is profit.”
Liverpool is owned by Americans. Those greedy bastards who only care about money, right?
Good then enjoy at Milan and will happy again after season like you enyoj at last.
Simple question : why you still support club if you are not enjoy ? There are many super rich club in europe with big name star, why forcing yourself support this poor italian club that owned by american and you hate so much ?
Supporters who don’t support when the club isn’t doing well aren’t supporters (or “fans”) but mere glory-hunters.
I breathe black and red until I die.
@Dan 35m for Fofana who plays for Ac Milan but players from lower leagues cost same. 80m or nothing
Yeah they pay 80 mil but for good player or big names, Fofana is just a mediocre player
I feel sorry for Allegri. Wanted to keep Reijnders, got sold. Wanted to keep Thiaw, got sold. Yet we’re stuck with Musah, Chuk and Origi.
But we don’t need Allegri to win, we already won plusvalenza Scudetto.
To be fair, he did get Modric, Ricci and Jashari. And doesn’t have to play Musah, Chuk or Origi.
And didn’t Allegri say he was fine with Musah staying?
Some people think they are Allegri
If you think we can take scudeto with this team and this owners,then i only can tell you: you take some drugs or you just guy who always dream even some dream never come true,you still dream
Wow, you must be new to this blog saying something like this to me lmao. Take a sit lad.
Yes im new,last few years only
Then you should read comments more and find out where I stand regarding this ownership and management. You’re a bit late to the party.
I’m waiting for Ricci in talks with saudi club for 50m. Keep that money rolling in.
I guess if we sell Musah and Fofana, we really didn’t need to sell Tiji. Imagine!
Let alone RLC, what a champ!
Musah 25m + Fofana 30m + RLC 20m = 75m
Just no need to sell our best player
Plus potential money from Adli, Benny, Pobega
I guess I’m not smart enough to understand why you dont start by selling players you dont want and try to keep the ones you do
Because they dont care about result. Tjis year Leao will score every game even we will be probably 7 or 8 place at the end,but they will sell him for 80m and that will what they want. Nobody cares about results from owners and managment
“Nobody cares about results from owners and managment”
Incorrect. The management knows it is fundamental to finish in Top-4.
How you think finished at first 4 with this team?? 1 or 2 injury and good buy.
And i was think Milan always look at Scudeto now we look at 4th place same like Bologna. 😂
Why i think Pioli will be better with Fiorentina then we at the end 🤭
“How you think finished at first 4 with this team?? 1 or 2 injury and good buy.”
Not really sure what you’re trying to say but I do think we can finish in TOP4 and even challenge for the scudetto. We have a coach who demands the players to give their 100%. That should elevate Leao to the next level (if he’s ever going to do that). We have Pulisic. We have Modric. I’m sure our defense will be 100x better than last season. Our attack is pretty much the same as last season and will probably get even better with the inclusion of the “final piece” (Hojlund? Vlahovic?).
Inter will be worse than last season. Same goes for Atalanta, Lazio & Bologna. Roma will not finish in TOP3 so the only scudetto challengers are Juve & Napoli. And Napoli will be the favorites but they might have the scudetto hangover too. You never know.
Considering only Tijji and Puli showed something and they together cost them their summer net spend, they didn’t have to sell Tonali and bring all this deadwood either. But here we are.
As Capello said, if you are signing players, only do so if they raise the quality of the group
Spot on SJF
Thanks.
Too many people drinking the cool aid. Until half the signings flop and our “average players” light up their leagues, eg Kalulu, Tonali, Tiji, Thiaw…
Also. What system is this squad being built for? Because it is still unclear and unfinished whatever the system
Dont worry , many player reject saudi club. Fofana will reject that due to world cup next years. Player only go there mostly because big salary , just like chinese league in the past. I doubt ricci will go to saudi too, he is npt money oriented player
He’s lost weight, looks much fitter and has worked alot on his shooting in the offseason….why not give him a chance….oh right $$$cha ching is calling.
I doubt fofana will accept that offer because WC next year. Club can do nothing if player decide to stay. RLC or jashari – ricci – modric are unbalanced. Need one physical midfield like fofana that have good work rate
I’ll be p**sed off with this – he’s been so good pre season and yesterday.
We are going to have to keep someone, Furlani!!!
Can’t say exactly I would miss Fofona…it is a bit late, however, in the mercato to go back to market for a replacement and that would count against us…considering that Ardon and Ricci will need time to settle. But it would be very hard to walk away from a good deal, he also has consistency issues like so many in this team. But I must say i didn’t see this one coming…the Arabs mean business.
Do you guys believe this is a done deal? Lot of crying in here 🤣
Oh yes! Please sell him! His last half of the season was abysmal. Bring in someone who can actually defend. We already have Jashari as a replacement.
Have you seen his stats from last season? He is in the lower percentiles in all defensive stats. Only passing was kinda good . But that was mainly the first half of the season.
That’s because we had him play as a DM, which he’s not. Same as Tijji who’s not a deep lying playmaker but they wasted him there and double pivot. This season Fofana actually has purpose and a role he’s supposed to be playing. He was never a DM, not even in Monaco. He was paired with one.
What are you talking about. Defensive midfielder is his main position. He’s just bad at it, hence should be sold.
TJ was a very good AC Milan player but he and his father jumped at the first chance to sign with Man City. With the proceeds from his sale we bought Ricci and Jashari and fixed our biggest weakness from last year. I would rather have players who want to be part of AC Milan. With Allegri we enter a new dawn and as fans we need to support the team and just keep silent (for now) on the owners and management. They had a good mercato and still have time for another striker and RB.
selling your best player is never a good mercato
Hopefully Fofana is not sold. He was one of the few positives from last season and he has looked in good form all pre-season and had a very good game last night.
Fofana cant score on a blind goalkeeper.
The comments saying he’s been good all preseason are hilarious. Clearly, some people don’t watch the games. Outside of one game against a mid table Serie B team, he’s been awful.
They just love to bash the club for whatever happen, cant forget they bash him and want him to leave after every match last season and this preseason including last match against Bari now they get mad after Saudi come for him, they are hilarious
No less than 80M, it is the late transfer window
This Pippo guy here is a veritable pain in the a*s*s, Lord have mercy…
Usualy truth make pain. I love this club but with owners im little at stand by
Please make every effort to bring Kessie back!
Se um deles sair Musah ou Fofana, Milan deve ir buscar Tyler Adams