AC Milan are in a strange position currently. They have players there, available for cheaper than market value, but they can’t be sold.
Analysing the mercato from a Milan perspective is almost impossible. There is effectively no good way to view it where the Rossoneri ‘win’. The stars of the past era are set to depart, with moves for almost every one of the big players on the table.
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However, this does not mean they will go through.
2025/26: The year of Milan’s nightmare
So, here we are, entering a season where the Rossoneri have feared for a long time. In fact, it goes back to last summer, when the club were trying to sort out renewals for Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan.
Neither deal was wrapped up, though, and through the season, nothing ever finalised. Despite suggestions of positivity from both camps. Milan now must find a suitor for the duo this summer, or risk losing them for free, should neither sign extensions.
Theo and Maignan both have offers present: the defender from Saudi Arabia, where he is currently not happy to move to, and the goalkeeper from Chelsea, which he hopes to push through, though it is not looking positive.
The worst outcome
With this, it is looking more and more likely that the pair will leave next year for free. As Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes, the duo are both content to stay in Milano for another season, see out their contracts and then leave for nothing, which is the worst option.
The Diavolo, in this case, would effectively lose €60 million, with both valued at €30m. However, when you add on wages and other costs, it could quickly add up to more. For the first time, entering a season with the pair would be a burden, rather than a benefit.
With the salary budgets of Italian clubs, it is hard to keep players who demand salaries like their peers elsewhere.
To be honest italian club fallen behind English, Spain, Germany in term of salary. Juve want to get rid their highest salary Dusan while IM also limited by oaktree, ACM highest salary only 7m euro nett below juve & IM total salary. Napoli maybe power house now but with conte, they will be only focus on local serie A
You need to establish who is your core. Less than 3 years, going into the summer, sign a deal or move them. Our wage limit is what makes us lose players. Inter secured their best players without even having a legitimate owner. So it can be done. Here, there is no willingness or proactive decision making. Everything is dragged on and indecisive.
A player with a year or less had the equivalent of 0 euros in terms of market value because there won’t be a demand for them. Their agents will prefer getting a signing bonus instead of the club receiving a transfer fee and the new club has no initiative to pay for a player they will secure for nothing in 6 months. Especially if that player will command a significant wage where there current club hasn’t and won’t meet. Makes the outcome predictable. Everyone and their mom knows Milan fail to keep their best players so they are easy pickings. The pattern has repeated itself so we know why and who is responsible. It wasn’t our previous directors. It is the current upper management.
Perfectly put!
Donnarumma and Kessie were picked for free buddy, but that wasn’t easy.
Reijnders picked on a €60m deal is easy.
Let’s chill a bit, Maignan current wage + write off isn’t really different from the wage he wants to extend, cost wise this doesn’t change much for next year apart from the lost fee. 30m is very best case here anyway and we are likely not getting that.
Moving Theo is more urgent, but he has 3 months to find a club.
Maignan was bought for €16m on a 5 year contract.
This means the value is around €3m per year in amortisation.
We have exhausted 4 years of this, winning the Serie A in the process, his remaining value is around €3m.
Selling him for €30m hurts though as we could have sold him for more, but it cannot be recorded as a loss by any means.
It’s not a 30M loss on each as they’re not realistically going to fetch that. It is a big loss but if they stay then we have to make the most of them at least it means we can properly plan and scout their replacements and they both have to perform well for the final year of their contract, if they want to make big money the year after.
The failure isn’t not selling them this summer, it’s not selling them last year. You can say it’s a 120M loss if you want because we could have sold them last summer for more and not had a terrible, fatigued season of Hernandez.
Too naive. They demanded a raise and we did not give it to them. Now you expect them to see out their last year here and give it their all. They will do just enough to save their legs for the World Cup and for their next club. Fatigue and injuries are the last things they want going into next summer. They-will-do-just-enough-to-get-by.
Hernandez, especially after last year, needs to bounce back strong. We’ve seen how little demand there’s been for him this summer whereas he’s been one of the best in his position for the past few years. I put it down to a combination of fatigue and lack of motivation… but he really will have to earn his next contract if he wants a big one. Kessie did and it got him his Barcelona contract.
I’ve been comming here every mercato for past few years and always complaining that entering into a season with players on thier last 2 years of contract is a grave mistske. If you allow this, then the next summer you are scr**ed. Players will play hard ball, clubs will lowball you, and all you can do is threaten the player to bench them for a year.
Instead we are always “sorting out” renewals. Get it done quickly or bite the bullet and sell. Always. No exceptions. Players are replacable. Especially those who dont want to renew. But only if you get full transfer fee, which is impossible if they are running out of contract.