The summer mercato is quickly approaching, and with that, discussions are beginning to take place at Milanello about the plans for the window. The main port of call will be evaluating potential incomings, but there also needs to be conversations about who could leave AC Milan.
As was the case last summer, Milan do not need to sell players to invest in their squad. However, no player is unsellable, and this is where the club need to evaluate their options. Given there are plans to invest in a new striker and defender, if the Rossoneri want to bring in quality, it could involve them having to make funds available through sales.
Tuttosport (via MilanNews) have reported that the club could be in a similar position to last year, where they sell a big player to invest where they need to – the player being considered for this currently is Mike Maignan.
The Diavolo have no interest in selling Rafael Leao or Theo Hernandez unless a crazy offer arrives. Whilst Maignan is still a key figure, he is seen as the ‘most expendable player of value’, and should an offer of €80 million arrive, the club will sell him, otherwise, they are happy to keep him.
Additionally, given there are currently stumbling blocks in negotiations about the Frenchman’s contract, selling him may be seen as the best option for all parties, with the two parties currently €2m apart in their talks.
It is vital to look back to the case of Sandro Tonali last summer. His departure allowed Milan to triple their budget at the cost of losing a fan favourite, but the club made the most of their increased budget, bringing in the likes of Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who have both had a positive impact on the team.
