While a lot of the attention is rightly on AC Milan’s progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the management are continuing to work off the field to try secure a couple of key renewals.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) this morning, Paolo Maldini is working on Rafael Leao’s renewal which he would have liked to conclude before the World Cup in Qatar, but trust between the parties has remained intact.
During the month of January an agreement seemed to get closer but, apart from cordial meetings, things seemed to stop. Leao receives a salary of around €1.5m net per season at the moment and Milan put a €6.5m plus bonuses offer on the table.
The Portuguese forward has not closed the door to the idea of staying but the real problems that are slowing down the operation are the commissions owed to his entourage and the fine owed to Sporting CP.
If an agreement were not found in recent months, Milan would be forced to sell Leao in the summer so as not to risk losing him on a free transfer.
Another player at the centre of a contract extension negotiation is Olivier Giroud but for the French forward the situation seems a bit more straightforward as there is a gap of just €300k between offer and demand. Milan would like to keep the current salary of €3.5m for another season and Giroud would be happy to stay.
Milan doesn’t need Giroud or Leao. Especially if Leao is going to be sold. Possibility on the market is huge.
Giroud is a great finisher and a talisman; worth keeping for another year for a relatively low wage. Leao is also a good (if incomplete) player, but he should have renewed by now if he cared about the club – so the first priority is now to ensure that he’s sold for as much as possible, which in practice means that if he hasn’t renewed before the end of the season, he should be placed explicitly on the market.
Renew Giroud for 1 more year but he cannot be every week starter. We need younger, more mobile striker.
Maybe even get someone on loan until Colombo and especially Lazetic are ready.
I hear Klose is very impressed with Lazetic and projects very bright future for that young man.
If Leao doesn’t give Milan answer by the final game of this season, the following day Milan needs to shop him around. Get whatever you can get. Enough prolonging. Everyone is replaceable, especially when you get money in return for the player, which I know is a foreign concept for most of us Milan fans because we are used to losing our players for nothing.
The guy also ask for big player money, but almost never shows up big in big games vs big teams.
@20&8 – well said about the renewal but not about him not showing up lol. If we offer what he is asking (7M & pay fine) and he turns us down or doesn’t decide by opening of summer transfer window then yes we must at that point sell and cannot risk another Kessie debacle. Let’s see what happens. Just hope IF we do sell that ownership invests ALL of the $$ back into strengthening the team, something I am not confident of. We will see. Yes Giroud for another season would be the perfect back up in league and potential CL starter. Less games not more. And yes finally invest in a true younger in his prime striker. Bring in Aouar on a FREE swap Poegba with Singo (so we get our Right Wing back opposite Theo) and sign a back up to Theo. Lastly I would bring Kessie back ON LOAN before Inter gets him and he terrorizes us next season lol.
I agree on AOUAR, but no way we can get Singo for Pobega.
1, because I expect Milan to go back to playing with 4 at the back, Pioli has said that and even Maldini said that yesterday that he doesn’t like 5 in the back.
2, I don’t think Torino is interested in Pobega anymore since they did buy Ricci last season and they just spent 15 mil for Ivan Ilic from Verona.
Pobega is here to stay if for nothing else but homegrown quota.
Would love Kessie back , but I don’t see it happening. His salary is 6.5 mil. Milan isn’t paying that
“Milan would be forced to sell Leao in the summer so as not to risk losing him on a free transfer.”
Forced to sell? Not so easy because they cannot force Leao to accept any deals they make with other clubs. Leao can – if he chooses to – continue to stroll around the pitch for year and there is very little Milan could do about it (expect bench him but that’s not going to happen).
Giroud is still a class act ,and of course keep him .
His sheer strength and ability inside the 18 yard area is second to none …lots more to come from this man believe me he is far from finished.I believe he will be picked for France at the next euros .As for Rafeol leao
yes of course it would be great to keep him for at least another season he can pull any defence apart ,would just like him to not rush his final pass so much .
We are a great team in the last 8 of the champions leauge ..can we make the last for ,of course we can .
We are AC Milan .