AC Milan are getting closer to securing a Champions League return, and they have big plans for the squad this summer.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the head coach Massimiliano Allegri sat down for a lunch with the CEO Giorgio Furlani to begin planning for the future, one which looks increasingly likely to feature playing in Europe’s top club competition.
A year ago, Milan were forced to rebuild after an eighth-place finish that left the team out of Europe, but the squad was streamlined. Now a UCL return looks more likely than unlikely, so how will the proceeds be spent?
One signing per department
Just from qualifying for the Champions League, Milan are aiming to raise revenues €60m as an absolute minimum. This is something Max himself has always emphasised as crucial to the club’s ambitions as well as its financial sustainability.
This money will be reinvested in the team, as per the company’s strategy: whatever comes in from the team is invested in the team itself. The figure could be increased through sales, as well as the cash generated from buy-outs of those out on loan.
One hundred million in deals is the base amount, taking into account only the UEFA revenue and buy-outs. How will the proceeds be reused? A signing for each department, a player who will be a key starter for Milan’s future. Allegri has also received assurances on this matter.
Kean leads the way
Allegri expects the goals in attack to make the team competitive in Europe. Before this season’s disappointments with Fiorentina, Moise Kean was on fire. He had 19 goals (eight this season) in 2024-25 which made him the second-top scorer in last season’s competition.
He also has other traits that fit the coach’s profile: the physicality to compete in duels and the pace for the quick counter-attacks that Max appreciates. The €62m clause (active in the first two weeks of July) currently doesn’t reflect the player’s value: Milan will try negotiate down, and before the World Cup.
Moise would be reunited with Allegri, with whom he worked for three seasons at Juventus, and his friend Rafa Leao, another striker with a passion for rap, with whom he has never partnered on the pitch.
The alternative options at the moment are more in the background: Borussia Dortmund’s Guirassy and of course Dusan Vlahovic, if the contract extension negotiations with Juventus don’t pan out.
Bolstering the best defence
The defence needs reinforcements, despite the season’s numbers currently making it the best in the ‘top five’ European leagues. The Rossoneri have conceded only 20 goals so far, with Allegri turning it from a fragile unit to Italy’s best.
The coach appreciates players who already know the Italian game and are physically strong: that’s why former Napoli player Kim Min-jae – now at Bayern Munich – is among the most sought after. At 29 years old, with a contract expiring in 2028, his price tag doesn’t exceed €30m.
Kim’s German experience has also been more tough than expected: 105 total appearances so far, in three seasons, with five goals scored. In just one year in Napoli, Kim had made 45 appearances and scored two goals. Lazio’s Mario Gila is a viable alternative.
Pulling the strings
Milan are also keeping an eye on another player in Bavaria for the midfield: Leon Goretzka. The 31-year-old is at the end of his contract and will be allowed to leave Bayern on a free transfer this summer.
He has scored 45 goals in his Munich career, making 298 appearances. He also boasts impressive personal achievements: six league titles, seven domestic cups, a Champions League, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup.
It would be a Luka Modric-style deal: someone with winning experience and technical ability. Speaking of which, the club are confidently awaiting confirmation of Modric’s intention to extend his contract for another year.
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In my humble opinion I think Milan should first get rid of Furlani, Ibra and Moncada.
Give Allegri and Tare full control over transfers.
Hire Albertini as our CEO. Then sign Milan Skriniar for the defence. Leon Goretzka and Ederson for midfield and Guirassy for the CF.
Players out: RLC, Nkunku, Fullkrug, Tomori and Ricci (loan with option to buy)
Players in: Guirassy, Goretzka, Skriniar, Brahim Diaz, Ederson, Theo Hernandez.
I would also say bring back Theo Hernandez. But Furlani must go as he is the reason Theo was sold.
Where I fully understand your comments, I don’t think such upheaval would be appropriate if we came 2nd or 1st, last season when we totally messed up, the management should have taken the brunt of the blame, but we moved on and to achieve what we have done, with the squad of players we had, we have over achieved!, if this, there can not be any doubt.
The players we should get as Allegri has said should be ready made, not us have to build them, so I would say the following players (especially as we will be redeeming €90m from transfer overspill from last summer:
DF: Scavlini or Cummuzo or Gila
MF: Ederson can be that Rabiot on the right); if Fofan leaves
RWB: only Dodo, he may cost in excess of of £25m but he would give Allegri so many options
FW: Santi and Fulkrug out
Vlavovic on a free (a market opportunity we should fight tooth and nail for, so many we have missed out
in the past and would be a statement signing)
Mois Keane: Again would give Allegri so many options and with the 5 subs rule you need to have players who are starter level on the bench, this is modern football and Allegri can read the match as well as anyone, so having options, would be paramount to the success for Allegri and ultimately AC Milan.
Agree with Malik. While a lot of the players mentioned arent performing and we need reinforcements. We need to grow, not to rebuild again. We do not want to go into next season with half of our starting 11 being new to the club.
Seriously? Theo Hernandez? Why? The reason Theo Hernandez was sold was his inconsistency and sh!t like the cooling break fiasco. Paolo Maldini would NEVER have done something like this. We currently have a rising 20 year old academy graduate as leftwing back. Let him continue to grow.
Albertini as CEO? Why? He has zero experience running football clubs. The chief executive of a football club must not only have football experience, but business administration experience as well.
EVERYONE was sh*t.
This cycle of hating and insulting current and former players is what’s keeping the club down.
There’s bad advice then there’s this.
My prediction: Milan will low-ball Lazio for Gila and Fiorentina for Kean, for weeks. Premier League clubs (or other Seria A clubs) will step in and snatch the deals. Milan will and up with Pellegrino (that rugby player from Parma) and a deal similar to Disasi (or maybe someone like Truilo or Tiaga Gabriel). Then in the last week of the mercato Furlani will capitalize on some strange Nkunku’esque “business opportunity” and voila: another disaster. Oh and Goretzka will join another club who can actually pay his salary (but we might get a half crippled midfielder like, let’s say, Ugarte or sth)
No wait, of course the last minute “business opportunity” will be Jackson from Chelsea *crying*
2 ST
1 or 2 CM/CDM
2 CBs
1 LWB/LM project player
If we can get Kim and Gila to reinforce the defense that would be solid signings.
Goretzka for free is a solid steal, we will face competition thou. But if Modric continues another year that midfield would be pretty stacked with Goretzka (Modric, Rabiot, Fofana, Ricci, Jashari, R-L-C, Goretzka).
Kean im unsure of. Hes just had one season with more then 10 goals and that was last. The season before that: 0 goals in 19 apperances and the season before that: 6 in 28 appearances. Thats not a goalscorer. We dont need another runner like Leao in a 3-5-2.
Guirassy is a goalscorer and physcial. Vlahovic too even if he doesnt score as many goals as Guirassy. Both would be better signings. I would even keep Fullkrug over signing Kean as he offers skills we dont have in anyone else.
If Allegri gonna continue to play 3-5-2 we would probably be better of selling Leao and one of Pulisic and Nkunku, keep Fullkrug and Gimenez and buy both Guirassy and Vlahovic.
Get proper no. 9s up top.
I’m also very wary of Kean, TBH.
RB : Marco Palestra
CB : Kim Min Jae/Mario Gila, Luka Vuskovic, Ruud Nijstad
MF : Leon Goretza, Konstantinos Karetsas, Bernardo Silva/Leon Adullahu/Julian Brandt
ST : Andrej Kostic/Matvy Ponomarenko, Moise Kean/Serhou Guirassy/Dusan Vlahovic, Matteo Pellegrino/Joaquin Panichelli.
After we won the Scudetto, did we strengthen? nO, management did fukall, even cut Maldini. While the coach is new and theres even a DS, the money men and decision makers are the same and no one has been let go after last season’s fiasco.
What makes any of you think this summer will be different? Elliott is out, true, but Gerry with his “always winning is boring” mentality is still very much there. So much so, that when he was there during the derby, there was not one single chant about “sell & go”.
What has changed? Same Gerry, no targeted and planned mercato last two windows… I don’t see as anything being different this summer.
What do you mean “Did we strengthen?” We spend more money after the scudetto season then in a long long time, and the most in Italy. The only top team that can whine about the owners not spending is Inter Milan.
Here are the top 5 net spenders in Italy the last 5 seasons-
1. AC Milan -€283.50m
2. Porco Juventino -€258.75m
3. Como 1907 -€223.81m
4. SSC Napoli -€107.91m
5. AS Roma -€107.10m
Inter Milan: +€72.08m
And thats with us having done some pretty big sales like Tonali and Reijnders.
The reason we can spend the most in Italys is because the american owners are superb at the business part of running a club, and they have increased the revenues more then any other owners. This will allow us to spend even more, since its basically the size of the revenues that dictate how much you can spend on transfer, agent fees and salaries (ie squad costs). Its 70% of a club revenue starting from the 2025/26 season.
What you -can- whine about is Furlani, Moncada and Zlatan who failed miserably 2 summers ago, both in player- and manager recruitments.
Hard to say how much this summare was Tare and how much was the rest, but its safe to say Tare had a very positive impact.
Allegri is also a very different manager then the previous ones and he will demand signings, or leave. If Tare and Allegri work closely together in the upcoming summer mercato im optemistic. And after this season compared to the last, I find it very hard the others will get much say in things.
Well said. Even after this season, some so called fans still can’t stop pushing their silly agendas.
That’s embarrassing….
So they spent all that money and achieved what?
A massive turnover of players and instability.
The issue with fans is that all they care about is money. I have never asked the club to spend money. If anything I wish they’d stop endlessly buying and selling players like some overpriced Euro shop.
Imagine the club had only added one signing each summer since the Scudetto season?
You are talking about something else. I asked if we strengthened after the Scudetto and your answer is Milan spent 283mil. BUT DID THE TEAM GET STRONGER?
Maybe the club shouldn’t have freaked out and changed half the squad after ONLY getting the semi-finals of the Champions League and finishing 4th.
But the fans wanted shiny new toys. And they’re going to want more shiny new toys this summer.
The fans are arguably more responsible than the owners because the fans set the expectations and don’t engage in mass protests when the club forces out players (in fact the fans demand players being thrown to wolves).
Well you said “did we strengthen? nO, management did fukall” Which wasnt true, they were very active and spend alot trying to replace the key players we lost the following seasons (Kessie, Tonali, Giroud, Zlatan, Thiaw, Kalulu and latest Hernandez etc).
I do belive todays team is stronger then the scudetto team. But the league this season is alot stronger overall then it was the season we won (which was the weakest season in terms of being competative in a long time).
Also this season Merda Inter have been given penalties and red cards on their opponents that resembles that of Juventus glory Calciopoli days anno 2006. While we have been at the other end of it. Without the refs giving Inter everything and us nothing, we would had been even with them now, or ahead. Thats not something you can influence yourself, its just sh*t luck.
The only big misstake Tare did this summer was signing Nkunku instead of a pure center forward like Allegri asked for (althou I have a feeling Nkunku was all Furlani since he truly cluless about football). Had Allegri been given Vlahovic, Guirassy or Mateta this summer (althou that knee might had been an issue later), I’m sure we would have had 8-9 points more now with a strikert that give you 20 goals per season.
If Milan continue to spend as they have, and they listen to Allegri and give him exactly the players he want, for his ideas, not whoever the clueless trio behind Tare feel is right, Im sure we will be fighting for the scudetto every season for a while.
Thanks to the american owners Milan have not only become competative in Italy in terms for financial muscles, but also in Europe.
Thank You Danny boy, finally someone to show facts. All we here is cry like little girls and blame the Americans. Mark my words, if these Americans continue running the club the way they have been, in 5 years we will be back to the top where we belong, but this time both financially and result wise.
I would go for Guirassy, we should have signed him initially when he was in Stuttgart. Stay away from Vlahovic please, he is in total decline and it is only going to get worse. Juventus would keep him if he was any good. Let Gakatasaray buy him
Yes Milan strengthened.
They signed Thiaw. Florenzi, De Ketelaere and Origi.
On paper those signings were perfect.
With Tomori and Kalulu as the established CBs having just won the Scudetto (conceding very few goals with those two) Thiaw (with Gabbia) was the perfect signing.
Florenzi brought experience to RB as back up to Calabria (who could also play LB).
Origi had scored at every level in the far superior Premier League and Champions League.
CDK was the big gamble that didn’t pay off (in his first season).
And it actually worked.
Milan maintained their Scudetto winning form until their collapse against Roma in January.
Even after their collapse in the league they made it to the SEMI-FINALS of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (and still secured 4th (FOURTH FOURTH FOURTH) spot)).
But then everyone lost their minds.
Maldini and Massaro were sacked for ONLY winning a Scudetto and making it to the SEMI-FINALS of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
Tonali was sold.
There was a revolution.
And chaos.
And now the club is finally back after 4 seasons (with many fallen heroes along the way including Calabria, Theo, Tonali).
Allegri has finally brought stability. Gabbia is finally been given the role he was meant for. Bartesaghi finally gives some hope. Saelemaekers is finally not helping competitors win. The club finally signed some actual world class players in Modric and Rabiot.
This summer is on a knife edge. 1 per position might work but any signings in defence or midfield could ruin the momentum.
The club does need a striker but that means giving up on one of Pulisic or Leao (and probably Nkunku, keep Fullkrug and Gimenez).
The transfer market is a casino. Whether or not signings work out has very little to do with their ability and everything to do with the circumstances of their arrival.
Nkunko and Leão stay. Too much of a loss to try and sell Nkunko and Allegri likes Leão. Pulisic will bring a nice profit. Either Nkunko and Leão will be the choice to play off the #9.
Shame to lose Pulisic.
There is a world where they could switch to 433 with Leao, Pulisic and Saelemaekers compete for 2 places, and Milan sign a new RB (or bring back Calabria!).
Just like your name indicates, Nostalgia does not win you titles. You need to continously reinvent yourself in football otherwise before you know it you are dead
Maldini spent 38M on De Ketelare. 8M on Thiaw, and then the rest of the money on loans and redeeming the likes of Kessie (on loan from Atalanta for the past few years).
They were so proud about being able to buy players without selling anyone, but Thiaw aside, the signings fell flat. Most of all De Ketelare.
Please just a striker.
You want to play 3 games per week with just 4 CBs for 3 positions ?
Look at the number of games the players played at Guardiola’s Barca.
They all averaged 50+ games.
Same with Conte/Allegri’s Juve.
Same with most successful teams.
4 CBs for 3 CBs is perfect with Bartesaghi also dropping back if there’s injuries.
If there’s an injury crisis you can pretty much kiss the season away regardless.