AC Milan have jumped into second place for the time being while awaiting the result from Juventus versus Atalanta, and there is an economic motivation to try and stay there.
Today’s edition of Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) has the headline this morning: ‘Milan, overtaking operation with Europe in mind. Money also in the sights’.
The Rossoneri hosted Empoli at San Siro this afternoon and a Christian Pulisic goal was enough to earn a 1-0 win to jump above Juventus into second place in the standings, who are playing against Atalanta at the time of writing and are losing.
With the Scudetto now unattainable, it has become important for Milan to finish second not only because of the sporting achievement, but also economically.
The second position in Serie A gets direct access to the Supercoppa Italiana which is financed by Saudi Arabia, with its rich prize money of €24m.
Given that Milan exited the Champions League at the group stage and thus missed out on the chance to play at the new Club World Cup, there is a gap in the accounts which finishing second and thus booking a ticket to Saudi Arabia would certainly help fill.
