CM: Maldini choice to Man Utd award winner – Dalot a €20m regret for Milan

Manchester United showed a willingness to sell Diogo Dalot to AC Milan after his loan spell but the management chose not to take it, according to a report.

As Calciomercato.com write, Milan fans might remember Dalot as a reliable full-back who was perhaps let go a little too easily. Having arrived at the Rossoneri on loan from United in the first post-Covid season, Diogo Dalot had been chosen by Paolo Maldini himself to reinforce the flanks.

The Portuguese defender showed some solid performances after a difficult start, amassing two goals and three assists in 33 matches across all competitions. Not only that, but Stefano Pioli found him a very versatile option as he played right-back, left-back and even as a right winger.

However, when decision time came and his loan spell was done, the management considered the request of €20m by the Red Devils for a permanent deal to be too high. The former Porto man thus went back to Old Trafford, where he has since thrived.

In three years Dalot has become a pillar of United as well as an almost immovable starter for the Portuguese national team, with which whom played in the latest editions of both the World Cup and the European Championship.

It is an exponential growth that has led him to be not only a fan favourite but also one of the most appreciated players by professionals and team-mates, the latter of whom elected him Player of the Year for 2023-24 after a season with three goals and five assists.

Now Milan are looking for a new right-back and a deputy left-back, and they might just be feeling some regret that they didn’t invest €20m – an amount that has now become a token investment – to bring Dalot back.