The growth of AC Milan’s project and the players at the centre of it will require the ownership to make some sacrifices in order to keep the core together, a report has claimed.
Calciomercato.com have published a report highlighting the importance of Rafael Leao and Ismael Bennacer who have become immovable members of the first choice starting line-up, having both arrived in the summer of 2019 as more unknowns that certainties.
Bennacer has created 23 chances and has recovered 89 balls this season with a pass success percentage of 89%, making him the leader in the middle of the park with his work both in and out of possession, something he has now transferred to the Champions League stage too.
Meanwhile, Leao has a goal, two assists and 15 successful dribbles in the first phase of the Champions League, with more dribbles than Kvarastskhelia, Dembelé and Neymar, behind only Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. After winning the Scudetto last season as the Serie A MVP, the feeling is that he has the potential to get even better still.
The Milan project is heading in the right direction and it is strongly centred on the intuitions of Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara, as the signings of Mike Miagnan, Pierre Kalulu, Theo Hernandez, Sandro Tonali and Charles De Ketelaere among others show.
However, it is project which – in order to go to the next stage – risks going through inevitable sacrifice. Difficulties have emerged in the negotiations for the contract extensions of Bennacer and Leao, and in order to keep jewels you must pay them for what they are worth.
