Gerry Cardinale’s work overhauling AC Milan is not done, with a number of players also expected to be shipped out.
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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.
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.