The renewal talks between AC Milan and Mike Maignan have reached a state of stalemate after the club paused and reflected.
As Calciomercato.com recall, Maignan arrived from Lille for €13m in the summer of 2021 as the heir to Gianluigi Donnarumma, becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world and helping Milan win the 2021-22 Scudetto.
However, Maignan’s deal runs out in 2026, so a crossroads is emerging. His agents and Milan have been discussing a renewal for several months, with the first turning point coming in December when a verbal agreement was found between the parties.
The management took their time after Maignan’s drop in performance level between January and February, namely the errors against Cagliari, Como, Juventus and Feyenoord in the Champions League. Those were followed by a new phase of reflection and study by the directors.
There is a second interpretation, probably more concrete, behind the halt in negotiations between Milan and Maignan. The club, due to their position in the table, did not want to commit in advance to such a rich contract while Champions League qualification was up in the air.
It cannot be a coincidence that, in the recent contact with the Frenchman’s agency, a new offer arrived. Milan lowered the proposal from €5m net as a fixed base to €4m with bonuses linked to qualifying for the 2026-27 Champions League (i.e. top four next season).
Mike currently earns around €3.1m guaranteed plus bonuses and will have to give an answer to what can be defined as the final offer. The contract is already ready, now Milan are waiting for a response from one of the team’s leaders. Otherwise, they will have to find a replacement.
Well… Kind of fair as clubs shouldn’t reward players who have regressed instead of going forward. Mike isn’t the Mike who won the scudetto. Far from it.
Champions league factor? R U kidding me? Still daydreaming CL spot? Cmon man I dare to say it is IMPOSSIBLE. Even europe league is almost impossible if we look at the result Milan got recently
Sooooo we are selling Mike for sure now or he is just going to leave for free. Great.
They want to cash in on him and others who jeopardize their salary cap and cheap business model.
As Gerry himself said:
“we sell out of opportunism. If we remain disciplined, there will always be counterparties on the market who will allow extraordinary returns for the players.”
Who cares about building on foundations, it’s all about earning a quick buck.
Acting stup*d and wonder why we are so shi*tty after tearing down foundations, is only an act for shallow fans. Or rather consumers. Customers. Gerry’s target audience.
Sell half of the squad to buy new but cheaper and PR the shiznit out of them as the next big thing. That’s what consumers need. Or at least it’s what marketing tells them they need.
Just imagine this guy’s unable to agree a contract renewal with Milan and then he goes to Inter Milan who are able to offer his demands, and he begins to shine. Guess what the fans going to call him? Yeah that’s right they’re going to call him a betrayer. If you won’t renew him, don’t complain when he’s saving a Pulisic penalty in one of the future derbies.