Gerry Cardinale had lunch with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Massimo Calvelli, and Geoffrey Moncada in Milan earlier today, discussing the future of the AC Milan project.
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After a season that hasn’t gone entirely to plan, Cardinale has been increasingly present in Milan to show his support for the team. The final game of the season is scheduled for tonight and Champions League could be secured, which would allow the Rossoneri to step up for next season.
As such, Cardinale’s presence hasn’t just been about supporting the team, but also about dealing with some corporate matters. Earlier today, the news broke that a summit was ongoing with Ibrahimovic at a hotel, and more details have now emerged.
A meeting that says a lot
According to Daniele Longo in his latest YouTube video, Cardinale had lunch with his wife and Ibrahimovic. However, this quickly turned into an operational meeting as Massimo Calvelli joined the two, followed by Geoffrey Moncada about an hour later.
Clearly, as this lunch tells us, Cardinale believes that Ibrahimovic and Calvelli are both essential for RedBird Italy and subsequently, the Milan project. The Swede will not get a bigger role at the club, like CEO or technical director, but he will always remain involved in some capacity.
The American owner has no intention of losing Ibrahimovic’s expertise and image, not just in relation to Milan but also other RedBird projects in Italy. Moncada, meanwhile, has a contract offer on the table but might not accept, depending on how his meeting with Nice goes next week.
The biggest takeaway, aside from the importance of Calvelli and Ibrahimovic, is that Giorgio Furlani’s role has taken a beating. The CEO has always been present at club meetings before, and the fact that he wasn’t now says a whole lot about his role in the future project of Milan.
Indeed, as Longo says, this was more than just a nice lunch in the city of Milan. It was a summit, an end-of-season meeting, to take stock of the situation and what should be done next.
