AC Milan were able to spend quite a lot of money thanks to the sale of Sandro Tonali and the exits of various outcasts this summer. However, the backing of the owner Gerry Cardinale was also crucial.
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The sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle for around €70m was a hot topic this summer but, in the end, Milan used the money well. A total of 10 signings were brought in by the management, while several other outcasts were also let go.
As a result, the Rossoneri didn’t increase the costs on the balance sheet by that much, but they did spend a lot. As shown by Transfermarkt, Milan spent the most of any Serie A club this summer, coming in at €112.5m.
However, things get even more interesting when we take a look at the net spend (income minus costs). Milan have the highest net spend at -€45m, while Inter and Atalanta come in at +€68m and +€87m respectively.
Inter need the money to balance their books, with a lot of debt, while Milan have the ability to spend even without many sales (Elliott Management cleared the external debt). The backing of Cardinale was thus crucial for the summer mercato, providing the funds for the management.
