RB Leipzig winger Dani Olmo has revealed why he decided to snub a move to AC Milan in January in favour of joining the Bundesliga side.
The Rossoneri were strongly linked with a move for the Spain international during the January transfer window which follows on from links during the summer, and at one point it was reported in Croatia that a deal was almost completely agreed.
Former Chief Football Officer Zvonimir Boban was the one negotiating and he used the excellent relationship he has with his compatriots to try and get everything over the line, but then instead everything stopped.
Tuttosport revealed in March (via MilanLive) that Elliott Management in fact decided that the commissions requested by the player’s entourage (€7million), the transfer fee and bonuses would have far exceeded the €20m put on the table by Milan.
In the end RB Leipzig and Ralf Rangnick swooped in to secure a €25million deal plus a further €10m in potential bonuses and 10% on the future resale, not forgetting the €2.5million net salary Olmo will earn on a four-and-a-half year deal.
Olmo was interview by Spanish newspaper AS and was asked whether he had the chance to move to Italy in January, which he confirmed.
“Yes, there was an Italian club interested, but I can’t say more. In the end I opted for Leipzig, I thought it was the best step in my career,” he said (via MilanLive).
“The call of Markus [Krosche, Leipzig sporting director] and Julian [Nagelsmann, the head coach] convinced me. The future project and the way they work together with young players convinced me.”
