AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini has claimed that the club have a ‘duty’ to try and keep three players who are on expiring contracts.
The situation that Milan face regarding the renewal of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu has been highlighted frequently in the media recently, as both have contracts expiring in June 2021 and are likely to demand pay rises given their importance to the team.
Maldini was interviewed by Sky Italia before Saturday night’s derby and began by discussing the current state of the team, with his words transcribed by MilanNews.
“Our recent history starts from the post lockdown, we expect to continue on this path. We know it will be impossible to remain undefeated all year, but we must continue to be courageous and when you have courage, luck helps you,” he said.
“Inter have the most complete squad in the league, probably the Serie A favourites. He is a solid and strong team.”
On the renewal of Donnarumma: “We will talk about it, he is not the only one, Calhanoglu is also there, we will also have Ibra. These are things that we will have to face, we are already facing. We have not had a moment to disconnect, these are things that will concern us, their agents and the players themselves.
“Milan have a duty to try to keep them, it’s a negotiation, both parties need to be happy, we hope that’s the way it is.”
Milan are unbeaten in their last 20 games across all competitions including 16 in Serie A, and they will go into Matchday 5 on top of the table after Atalanta were beaten.
Maldini was asked about the keys to the success that the Rossoneri have enjoyed since lockdown, highlighting the importance of stability.
“We have given some stability to the work done, the young people have grown up, the coach is the same, the results have helped the maturation. We don’t think we have reached our maximum, we know we are not the strongest, but we’re a team. It’s the thing that distinguishes us the most at the moment.”
On the gap with the other teams: “Last season was strange, the points gap increased compared to the previous season (2018-19) but we feel much closer to the other teams, it is a belief that we have, supported by the good games of the last five months.”
