AC Milan could use the common ground and mutual interests of Gerry Cardinale and Todd Boehly to help complete some summer operations, a report claims.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) speaks about the battle to sign Romelu Lukaku, who said no to Saudi Arabia and keeps telling Chelsea that he wants to return to Inter.
He wants to keep playing in Champions League, but the Blues are wanting to sell the Belgian permanently rather than accept another loan, with an asking price of €40-50m that Milan can meet with Sandro Tonali’s sale.
One of the things Chelsea and Milan have in common is their American ownership. Todd Boehly and Gerry Cardinale know each other and though they have never done business together, they have had important investments in the same sectors for a while.
It starts with football where they both landed last year. Cardinale is at the helm of his group RedBird Capital and Boehly leads a consortium involving Clearlake but not his group Eldridge Holding, which owns, among other things, the rights to Bruce Springsteen’s songs.
The two US tycoons have in their vast portfolio investments in finance, media, with Cardinale who through RedBird (the fund that manages assets of €8bn) has financed the production company of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
However, sport is the flagship for both. Boehly, who has personal assets of €4.84bn, has had a 20% stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the biggest Major League Baseball franchises. In July 2021 he bought 27% of the LA Lakers too.
The Laker are a historic NBA franchise in which LeBron James plays, the superstar who has invested in RedBird over the years, which financed his film production company.
RedBird, like James, have a stake in Fenway Sports Group, the holding company that owns Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox. Unlike Boehly, Cardinale doesn’t have a direct investment in’ baseball, but the passion is the same and one of many points of contact.
Even in football the basic idea is similar: to create a multi-club system. In addition to the Rossoneri, RedBird also control Toulouse, while Boehly has just got his hands on Strasbourg.
In terms of actually running the clubs the two have different visions. Cardinale intervenes in the choice of the management – as seen with Maldini’s sacking – but then lets them manage the market, while Boehly has the last word on virtually everything.
The basic idea remains the same: to be successful in football as well as transforming Chelsea and Milan into the most precious jewel in their respective crowns.
This is also why the Lukaku question is of interest. Boehly will have the last word on the fate of the former Manchester United man, who – given Chelsea’s willingness to sell him definitively and Inter’s impossibility to pay the asking price – may have to resign himself to saying yes to Milan.
Cardinale and Boehly may have never done business together, despite having long invested in similar industries, but it cannot be ruled out that Lukaku is the first subject.
Focus on marcus. This 30 years lakaka not suit with club policy buy young player with high resale value
Stop this talk about Lukaku pls – he’s an Ox and not worth getting even on a free..
Spending €50 mio in Lukaku !!!??
I hope it’s a joke (and it’s a bad one).
We could fundraise 100mill if we sell gerry cardinale to Afghanistan,
So he can start mlb
If we get Lukaku he should play in defence- his goal line clearances are world class.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, him and Pulisic because he is from the USA, doesn’t matter he will fail.
Thanks but no thanks, we do not want LaKaka. Aside from his physique and zero IQ he brings nothing for us. Buys smart intellegent strikers that Milan werre always known for. ie Pipo
I do like Lukaku as a person but I’d rather not have him play for Milan.
Surely, if there is 40 million Euros to spend, Moncada and his network can find better players?
Wtf did I just read. What is Gazetta smoking here. That’s the most crazy cray connection if I’ve seen one