AC Milan got the renewal of Alexis Saelemaekers signed and sealed, but now there are three more that they want to try and agree.
A goalkeeper who saves, a playmaker who creates and a forward who scores: it certainly sounds like a good recipe. As Corriere dello Sport (via Tribuna) report this morning, Milan are looking to secure those roles by renewing Mike Maignan, Luka Modric and Christian Pulisic.
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The trio have arguably been the best Rossoneri players in the first part of the season and yet the permanence of all three is far from certain at the moment.
Negotiations needed
Modric has won everyone over, and with him the doubt is whether he will wish to continue after the World Cup given his age. The feeling is that the Croatian will have a very big say in whether he stays for one final season in 2026-27, or just does the one season with Milan.
Meanwhile, sporting director Igli Tare has ‘broken the deadlock’ with Maignan and his entourage. Contacts between the parties have taken place in recent days, but his deal runs out in June and the French goalkeeper’s salary demands are no less than €6m.
Tare and the CEO Giorgio Furlani are working on Pulisic. The USA captain has a club option to extend until June 2028 in his current deal, but based on his performances so far, the club are aiming to extend his contract by at least a couple of years and then add the option to extend it.
It’s no coincidence that Furlani is only involved in the Pulisic negotiations. The rift with Maignan, following the renewal promised last year and then put on hold, is still ongoing. Mike wants to negotiate only with Tare and this adds a further complication.
I can’t blame magic Mike , furlani suppose not to be allowed in sporting activities due to Nkunku business that he deliberately handled which is 200% failure
Puli should also stall as long as he can to see what the management does with this team the next year or two. Either way they will trigger his ‘28 option and at that point he can decide what to do.
But that would mean he earns 3M less over the next three years before deciding. Why would he do that?
because I think if he was after a pay day he would have left already.
“because I think if he was after a pay day he would have left already.”
The sums he’d get in EPL and Saudi are massive compared to what he now earns. It’s definitely not about the money for him.
He’s comfortable now, but an additional 3M over the next three years would be almost an extra year of pay for him (he’s on 4M a season). It doesn’t make sense for him to “wait and see”.
Footballer careers are short.