One thing seems certain about AC Milan’s summer transfer plan: the desire to add a quality centre-back to bolster the rearguard.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, Kim Min-Jae and Mario Gila are the two names being talked about most. One is Korean, won the Scudetto with Napoli, and has a giant “Carpe Diem” tattooed on his chest. The other was born in Barcelona but spent part of his career in Real Madrid’s youth system, a rare feat for a Catalan.
Other names will likely follow too in terms of transfer links, but for now the Bayern Munich and Lazio duo are the ones who stand out as being near the top of the list for the Rossoneri, but who is more likely to arrive?
Tare eyes repeat
Gila has everything it takes to become an opportunity in the coming months. The basic facts: his contract expires in June 2027, and Real Madrid are entitled to 50% of the transfer fee, thanks to a previous agreement signed with Lazio.
There has been no contact between Lazio president Claudio Lotito and the player’s agents in recent weeks, but the club know Gila won’t renew his contract. The choice is between selling him in June or losing him for free in a year. Milan and Inter are among the many interested clubs.
Igli Tare is the manager who brought him to Italy four years ago for €6m, and no, he hasn’t regretted it: it was one of the best deals of his career. The relationship between Tare and Gila remains very good, and Allegri also appreciates the qualities a player that knows the league well.
A return to Italy?
Tah and Upamecano played in defence for Bayern Munich against Atalanta on Tuesday night, with Kim sitting on the bench from start to finish. This isn’t anything new: the Korean has only started 12 times in the Bundesliga, and only once in the Champions League from October to today.
It’s true that Bayern are one of the best clubs in the world, but does it make sense to accept this career trajectory, after his years as a champion at Napoli? The defender’s contract expires in two years, and Bayern aren’t opposed to a sale, under the right conditions.
Of course, there’s a major financial issue. Bayern paid €57m for him, so could they sell him for less than €30m? Even more importantly, Kim’s salary tops €9m net per season, which is outside of AC Milan’s parameters. To return to Italy, he’d have to accept a significant restructuring.
Who is more likely?
Who has a better chance of landing at Milanello? First, we need to understand what characteristics the team will need in 2026-27. For example, Kim is more physical, Gila more technical.
Then, it’s very important to wait for the developments at Milan. Will Allegri – who is Kim’s big sponsor – have a lot of power in the transfer market? Will the summer budget be €60-70m, considering that Milan will need to sign a centre-forward and significantly expand their squad?
Gila, that’s for sure, costs less: market dynamics suggest a price tag around €20m, perhaps with generous bonuses. Lotito, however, is a variable: knowing that half the cheque would go to Real Madrid, they could keep him for one last spin and lose him in 2027.
For this reason too, surprises are just around the corner, so it’s best to be prepared: Milan are making moves and will continue to make moves on other centre-backs.
The few matches I have watched Upemecano play, he has been a disaster, if Kim cannot get game time, then Kim must really be bad.
Rudiger’s contract ends this June and it’s “50/50” he extends. He’s 33 but playing great football. What a huge step up that would be in Milan’s CB quality. Not sure why he’s not being mentioned.
It would be great if the writers of these transfer targets identified the “top 10” potential CBs and went through the pro’s and con’s of each (including contract status and transfermkt estimates), rather than 2 random players.
It will be, again run with the clock, transfer market.
There are loaned players first, which needs to be sold. And in my opinion why not to upgrade the squad? Why not Kim on loan ? We should again used more loaned plyers from teams that have too much of stars