Given the uncertainty and simultaneous radio silence from AC Milan at the moment, it would be fascinating to get inside Paolo Maldini’s mind at the moment.
Calciomercato.com report that Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara have not yet signed their contract because no one has told them to do so. Last weekend Maldini spoke on the phone with Gerry Cardinale and the RedBird Capital founder offered a two-year extension with the option for a third season and a slight pay rise.
Maldini was convinced to accept the proposal and carried on working regularly, waiting in vain for someone to call him to sign, but it has not happened yet and the end of June is approaching. In the meantime, he has some concerns.
Firstly, the budget for the market is €45m and the ceiling on how much each player can earn (an internal salary cap) will be the same as today, which raises questions regarding the renewal of Rafael Leao and possibly the idea of pursuing market opportunities like Paulo Dybala.
Maldini is currently away in Ibiza and his birthday is on Sunday, so Ivan Gazidis – who is in London – should resume talks with him again on Monday, if not Tuesday. What will happen in the next two months will say a lot, because Maldini has big ambitions for Milan and he hopes for them to be matched.
The former Milan captain knows he needs to give Stefano Pioli a strong central defender, a midfielder of international quality to replace Franck Kessie, an upgrade on Brahim Diaz for the No.10 role, possibly a centre-forward who can guarantee a certain number of goals per season (not Origi therefore) and a quality right winger.
Then, it must be understood what the composition of the new Board of Directors will be and the weight that Elliott Management will have on the running of the club, as well as the future of Gazidis beyond his contract expiry in November.
There are differences between Maldini and the club on certain things because the technical director wants a starter-level central defender, that would allow Pierre Kalulu to shift to the right-back role. Instead, Gazidis is pushing for a more unproven player and in the meantime Sven Botman has slipped away after six months of negotiations.
The chances of signing Renato Sanches – the chosen target for the midfield- are slo strongly at risk because there is not an ability to move concretely on the market yet. The bottom line is that there are doubts that Maldini hopes to be resolved.
