Gerry Cardinale’s work overhauling AC Milan is not done, with a number of players also expected to be shipped out.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cardinale was surprised players’ approach during the tragic Sunday evening against Cagliari. He appreciated the commitment of Modric, Pulisic, Pavlovic and Saelemaekers, but believes many others did not pull their weight. So, more exits could come.
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Door open
Rafael Leao is crucial in this context because no one can change Milan’s accounts like him. Leao can bring in €40-50m, which won’t be the €80-100m expected a couple of summers ago, but it’s a useful figure.
The new development is Galatasaray’s interest in a major Turkish derby. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have made their moves in the last week. They’re eyeing each other from afar and studying each other: they’re used to having shared targets.
There’s been a lot of talk in Turkey about Fenerbahçe’s admiration for Leao, as they’ll be electing their new president on the weekend of July 6-7. Of the two Istanbul teams, Galatasaray is ahead and is ready to offer a salary of €10m net per season.
Leao, who earns €5.5m net plus bonuses at Milan, can’t remain indifferent to that. Will he accept Turkey? An answer will be given in the coming days, perhaps during the World Cup.
The others
The other two big question marks hover over Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot, but their situations are different. Modric would certainly have stayed with the Champions League: he’s happy in the city, he has a daughter who plays for the Rossoneri, and he’s found the love of the fans.
The defeat against Cagliari, however, shocked him, and now Luka is thinking. His first idea is to stay anyway, but he’ll think about it for a while longer. The Rabiot issue, however, revolves around Massimiliano Allegri.
Rabiot arrived at Milan because of the now ex-coach, and without him his position is once again in question. History teaches us: at Juventus, when Allegri was sent to a new place, Rabiot refused to renew his contract. This demand isn’t there at Milan, but the new management will speak to him.
The new coach and the sporting director will influence many decisions, though there are some already obvious assessments. Christian Pulisic, for example, has significantly increased his chances of playing another 12 months with Milan in the last 24 hours.
Captain America has clearly had a terrible 2026, on and off the pitch. He hasn’t scored and he no longer feels like a fan favourite. If Milan’s structure had remained unchanged, he would likely have asked to be sold. Cardinale, however, is determined to keep him and he’ll likely succeed.
As for Strahinja Pavlovic, it will be a matter of offers. Let’s put it this way: Milan would happily keep him, even knowing he’d struggle more in a back four. However, one doubt is justified by the Serbian’s excellent season and the possibility of a significant offer: €40m could put everything in question.
Nothing should change drastically, let us sell Tomori, RLC and Leao, Odogu, Pervis, Nkunku and Gimenez, Bennacer, Musah and Chukwueze, that should do it.
Tomori cca 20, RLC 10-15, Leao 50+, Odogu 5, Pervis 10-15, Nkunku cca 25, Gimenez cca 20, Bennacer 5, Musah 20-25, Chukwueze 25. Close to 200 million €.
You dont understand.
Exchange of players doesnt function.
Why Maldini was right ?
He wanted next step – investments in better players than they were in that squad before.
I think its ok to sell.players you wrote but not Leao. You cant find on market player that will have better score than him in first season.
Really? You’re clairvoyant, is that what you’re saying? You don’t know that and you’re certainly (neither is anyone else here for that matter) not the one who is competent enough to make such observations about me and my way of thinking. Leao peaked, his time at Milan (under this conditions anyway) is done and his departure is long overdue, unfortunately, I hate it but it is what it is.
This guy is one of the main reason of current Milan issue. I really wish him leave.
Leao: “you hate me, who are you?”
Leao sosial media post photo
At this point of his career this seems like the only logical move for him. He isn’t going to get away with his work rate anywhere outside of Milan, except for Turkiye. The way other top wingers move they make him seem like fat Celtic Striker John Hartson. He needs to go and the English dead wood.
Their transfer logic is going down and down.
Only on season managed to pull result. Scudetto season. Even than Pioli said that result came too soon.
Good buys were Tonali, Bennacer, Messias etc.
After which owner started capital gain for accounts insted in investing in even better players which Maldini wanted like Botman etc.
Now they even go in more panick. They want to sell last best players, and who will they bring ?
Nkunku, Jashari, Estupinan, Morata, Gimenez, Emerson Royal, Felix, Abraham, Sotil, Waller, De Ketelaere, Musah, Chukwueze, Okafor, are names in which is pumped hundreds of million, just because at the end someone must to play but didnt produce anything in team.
Squad must be built over players who at the end done the most in last season, with quality investments.
Mike, Pavlovic, De Winter, Gabbia, Bartesaghi, Athekame, Ricci, Fofana, Rabiot, Modric?, Alexis, Rafa and Pulisic with few promoted youngsters are who must stay to avoid next season position which could be even worst.
Because at the end new arrival statistically dont produce necessary results.
Milan can produce money from players on loan and players who didnt step up this season, like Tomori, Ruben, Santi, Nkunku, Jashari, Estupinan.
Wake up already, you toddler. Leao hasn’t been good in 2 years. Hes been a lazy ineffective waste who cant even bear his man anymore and does nothing to help when off the ball. We should’ve sold him 2 season ago when he was worth something. Now not a single bug club in the world wants him. He needs to be sold while we can still get anything for him, if anything we should try and negotiate a player plus cash deal for Osihmen with Galatasaraay. Leao was finished a while ago
Clubs like Ac Milan doesnt function in way “we should sell him 2 years ago”
In last 2 years Milan already should have good rotation player for Leao, and you wouldnt notice anything. Milan would have result.
It is logical fault to say : “Leao sucks”:, and than completely ignore fact that Milan staff invested hundreds of million in Okafor, Origi, Nkunku, Gimenez, Felix and Abraham which duty was to produce something for.team when Leao cant or is injured.
It is one thing to expect 11 players to have constant effect on games, and totally ignore all others who are on the bench.
But bench players cost tooo.
Cardinale this time must find stuff who will manage to bring quality back up and first team players. Without that – no success.
Youre an imbecile. You can make whatever number excuses you want, little guy. Here’s reality: hes done. He’s ungodly lazy and cant evennbear his man when he has the ball anymore. His touch looks worse than a u17 players, and he needs 17 chances to finish 1. Hes not evennworth half the money hes getting. Stop living 5 years in the past, its not 2021 anymore. Leao has been awful and no amount of your fangirl excuses for him matter. Milan need quality who will actually try andnout in effort all game. Not a lazy vini Jr wannabe who spends 99% of the game walking
Maignan, Torriani, Terracciano, De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Saelemaekers, Athekame, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Rabiot, Ardon, Bartesaghi, Pulisic + Bondo + Comotto/Zeroli and Camarda (possibly even Cisse);
3 DC, 1 R(WB), 1 MC, 1 L(W)B, 1 FW/SS and 2 SC = 9,
8 if we keep Odogu, 7 if we keep Leao but we just can’t keep using this 3-5-2 if we wish him to stay…
“After which owner started capital gain for accounts insted in investing in even better players which Maldini wanted like Botman etc.”
Transfer Spending.
2023-2024
Milan: €132.68m
Como: €14.23m
Inter: €74.50
2024-2025
Milan: €139.00m
Como: €100.67m
Inter: €78.80m
2025-2026
Milan: €170.00m
Como: €126.89m
Inter: €96.60
Milan: €441.68m, Como: €241.79m, Inter: €249.90m.
Now stop peddling your lazy, ignorant capital gain crap.
Only actual net spend is really relevant. If you sell your whole team and buy everyone you will be the biggest spender by far, but that doesn’t mean anything. Stop being stupid. You keep presenting irrelevant data.
Leao bring much more on the pitch than Nkunku… so for money reasons it makes more sense to sell Nkunku at 30 over leao for 40 mil.
This article played to the anger of fans to just fire sell all
Youre an idiot😂 leao does literally nothing on the field anymore, you fangirl. Wake up. When was the last game he was even slightly useful??? When’s the last time he even ran back to help on defense??? When’s the last time he didn’t throw a tantrum when he got subbed off after doing nothing for 70mins???
Sell him already. Hes been completely useless for months and cant even be bothered to try anymore. Get rid and get in an actual forward who will put in effort for the team. We need the effort of Dembele, not vini jr
Dembele? The guy criticised for years for being unprofessional? The guy who flopped at Barcelona before finally hitting double figures in goals, for the first time in a decade, and winning the Balon D’or? It’s taken that fool until 28 years of age to figure things out. Leao delivered a scudetto and his time is up, but he doesn’t need lessons from Dembele.
Dembele? He can’t play over 60 minutes because he is really fit. 😀 Amazing example. How can you be such a clown and think you aren’t at the same time? 😀 Dembele that was playing Play Station until 4AM until he was 26? That guy? 😀
Best decision is to hold off until end of the world cup. If Portugal goes far and he has a good tournament then his value will rebound and a few big clubs will come circling. Also, we need to allow time for the new coach ie areola etc to decide if his part of their plans or not. Despite being poor this year his too good in his prime to be playing in turkey! We shouldnt rush into fire sale!
Hes done, buddy. Just like theo. We dont need lazy players
We already had the revolution we needed. We don’t need to do the same for the players too. That will set us way back. A true year zero of you will. But if they are going to do that just focus on keeping your core pieces 🤷♂️
I have a hard time seeing Leao fitting into an intense pressing system.
At least this season, he didn’t really show many signs of being willing or able to consistently play that kind of football.
So honestly, I think this could be the end of Leao’s time at AC Milan. He has already been at the club for almost 7 years, and sometimes both the player and the club simply reach a point where a new challenge makes sense for everyone involved.
That said, I’ll always appreciate what he has done for Milan, especially during the Scudetto season where he was absolutely decisive.
In his seven years at Milan, Rafa has always been the player with the most goal contributions, yet the fans still turn against him—there must be something wrong with them. Mbappé, Messi, and the rest of the top strikers have never been involved in defensive play; they’re forwards—their job is to score, not to defend— but some people just know how to attack Rafa and call him lazy.
Leao and pulisic were our strongest players and were played out of position this whole season. Nkunku is a CAM or second striker, for a CF. These players can be devastating if the coach had used them in the right way with the right formation. Allegri was a very stagnant and one dimensional coach.