Davide Calabria is experiencing what might be the most challenging moment of his entire AC Milan career, and at present there is a genuine risk that he leaves the club on a free transfer in less than a year.
As Tuttosport (via MilanNews) writes this morning, after the first three disappointing games of this season there are not many players who can hold their heads up, including the captain Calabria who has struggled from a performance standpoint.
However, we must also rewind and look at what happened in the last month and a half. First of all, the club decided to sign Emerson Royal from Spurs for €15m and he was a request from Paulo Fonseca, which in turn means that Calabria no longer enjoys the certainty of a starting place.
After starting from the first minute against Torino and Parma, the Milan academy graduate made way for the Brazilian in the game at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. When he left the field during the first game after being subbed off, Calabria was jeered by the fans.
Another situation to manage, in the midst of all this, is also the one related to his contract renewal. At the end of this season, in June 2025, Calabria will see his agreement with Milan expire and it is therefore reasonable to think that in these weeks there will be new contacts between the parties.
Rumours in recent months had declared that the full-back would have asked for a raise from €2m net per season to €4m. In reality he is willing to take €2.5m as per the paper, but at the moment there are no signals from the club.
Losing Calabria on a free transfer is something the management are unlikely to accept, also because Calabria is one of the few Italians left in the squad and certainly among the very few – given his professional career – who feels so attached to the club.