AC Milan’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and the chaos at management level could see some big names depart.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
As Corriere dello Sport write, the first to declare his intentions publicly was Rafael Leão. After seven years, the Portuguese admitted he wants a change of scenery and is looking for a team in another league. These are parting words after a difficult season, which also included a rift with the fans.
Leao has been constantly booed in recent months and seen as a symbol of the club’s failure this season. Owner Gerry Cardinale was the first to put him on the market when he leaked his desire to get rid of him, but then Rafa made his own contribution by coming out in strong words.
The Portuguese is already looking for a place abroad, but the Rossoneri want to earn at least €50m from the sale. So far, offers have come from Turkey, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce leading the way. Both teams have offered high salaries, around €10m net per year.
However, the former Lille man would like to wait for an offer from the Premier League. His dream is to play for a top club in England, and he’ll use the World Cup as a platform to attract clubs. A move to Saudi Arabia is much more difficult, while Barcelona have always been interested in Spain.
Others want out
Leao won’t be the only player asking to leave. Keep an eye on Luka Modric, whose future is truly uncertain. The Croatian is extremely disappointed with how the season ended and is mulling things over. His contract expires at the end of June, and if Massimiliano Allegri stayed, he would have too.
Now he finds himself without a Champions League spot and without the coach who so strongly desired him, as well as sporting director Igli Tare, who had begged him to come to Milan. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is trying to convince him, but Modric has several doubts.
Adrien Rabiot himself could already be packing his bags after a year. Here, the situation is different because the Frenchman is still under contract and Milan are expecting offers of at least €15m to let him go, but there are already rumours of him leaving to reunite with Allegri at Napoli.
Then there’s the Mike Maignan case. The goalkeeper recently renewed his contract because he believed it would open a new chapter for Allegri. It was the coach himself, along with sporting director Tare, who persuaded the Frenchman to sign with daily persuasion.
Now Maignan will look around and try to test the waters of European clubs, but it won’t be easy to leave because the goalkeeper has a long contract with a significant salary of around €5m net net per year.
Then there are the players who will receive offers and whom the club will consider in order to obtain capital gains that will help close the budget in the black after two years without Champions League revenue.
Then there’s a series of surplus players who will instead be placed on the outgoing market. In short, there will be a lot of work to do at Casa Milan, when the management is finally in place at least.