Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci’s arrivals kicked off AC Milan’s summer, but now there is the feeling that things are stuck.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports the novelty of those two signings has worn off and the fans are impatient. When will there be news on the striker? Aren’t they closing the deal with Club Brugge for Jashari? After the Archie Brown affair, isn’t it time to bring in at least one new full-back?
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The situation needs to be seen in the bigger picture, trying to understand Milan’s mercato strategy in recent weeks. In mid-July, we’re at a standstill and meetings are needed to define priorities and strategies.
Clearly Milan won’t be able to sign a striker for €50m, Jashari for €35m, two full-backs for €20m and perhaps add a centre-back. It will depend on a few variables, but the basic principles can be clarified.
The budget
The key statement was made at the end of June by Giorgio Furlani, the club’s CEO responsible for financial management: “All financial resources are invested with the goal of creating sporting performances: within this there are limits, parameters. If you spend too much on the right, you won’t make it to the left.”
Failure to qualify for the Champions League has generated a loss of approximately €80m, which will be largely offset by the transfer market. Tijjani Reijnders will likely bring in €65 (although the fixed fee, without bonuses, is expected to be under €60m).
Theo Hernandez was sold for €25m. Boca paid around €4m for Pellegrino. Juve exercised the €14.3m option for Kalulu. In short, Milan still have a respectable budget but is looking for five starters on the market: two full-backs, a centre-back, a midfielder, and a striker.
Transfer priorities
So, what are Milan’s priorities? Ardon Jashari is one: Milan offered €32.5m plus bonuses for him. The other big priority is the centre-forward, so much so that the club has discussed whether it wouldn’t be appropriate to allocate the €30-35m earmarked for Jashari to that dossier as well.
In short, would it make sense to stick with the current midfielders, including Musah, and invest in the No.9? Every fan has their own answer; the problem is that forwards are expensive, and not cheaply. It’s difficult to find a guaranteed solution even by spending €30-€40m, as Santiago Gimenez demonstrates.
However, Darwin Nuñez proves that Milan can’t afford to reach their top options: the Uruguayan costs €50-€60m and would reasonably expect a salary of €5.5-€6m per season without the Growth Decree. That’s very challenging.
The other significant issue concerns the full-backs which have not been the priority The initial plan was to spend €10m, €15m, or a maximum of €20m for each of the two full-backs, but this transfer window, as is clear, is complex.
The €18m offer for Guéla Doué was politely rejected and the Archie Brown situation, who cost less than €10m, was poorly handled. The names now are Marc Pubill, Pervis Estupinan and Nathaniel Brown.
The situation will inevitably change. Milan will depart for their tour on Saturday, and at the moment it’s almost impossible for them to announce a signing before their flight east. The transfer window will follow, at the end of July and especially in August, with a couple of variables to consider.
Sales could bring in new money. In this regard, pay particular attention to Musah and Thiaw: given their age and characteristics, they are the easiest to sell. Easy prediction: in a month, when AC Milan plays Bari, we’ll know more, but not everything.
We want to generate rage, so we use a picture of Furliani. He’s become the new scapegoat and certainly has some responsibility for a bad season last year. But it’s easy to blame one person – realistically there are far wider issues to overcome.
They NEED TO START SIGNING PLAYERS.
To give Allegri full support so he can start working properly. Not crazy money moves but literally ANYTHING
Let’s start panic buying straight away! Some fans are eaten by anxieties. Let’s alleviate with some short-term solutions so some of them feel better! Yes!
Why Milan’s mercato is currently stuck? Because the board has no ambition
Milan: “We are going to invest in youth!”
Sells youth
Milan: “We don’t need to sell. We keep our best players!”
Sells best players
Milan: “We are going for Italians! Give Milan their Italian identity back!
Buys foreigners
Gee, I wonder why Milan is stuck…
Literally the one guy we’ve spent money on is a 23yo Italian.
Yes and I’m hoping I’m wrong and we actually get some more Italians! But so far all other names I see floating by are foreigners. I had high hopes on Lucca coming.. or Retegui… or Camarda staying..
But lets stay positive and hoping more are coming!
Dude! They exported 2-3 Italians to bring in one, (so they can officially has one starter Italian in the lineup in their domestic league, can you imagine it in ur country?)
This comment really brings up the highlight of Milan, low balling, haha
Not good enough honestly coming from a club that was in the green the last 3seasons, we won the scudetto in terms of earnings but as usual it means absolutely nothing like the real scudetto we won a few years ago cause we’re so poor now from top to bottom
Mercato is stuck because Gerry is overly concerned with his pocket book and less so on the field. He fails to realize they are intertwined.
Don’t talk nonsense.
There he is, Ubercuck right on cue to defend Gerry from any criticism.
Actually he is correct, with Milan now exiting their sustainability agreement they should be able to spend a little more. The lack of UCL is bad but the club made a profit the last 3 seasons so if they forked out 50-60 mill for a striker that can guarantee goals it wouldn’t be disastrous but they’re so focused on keeping the books green it’s going to be a painful rebuild
de Cuyper was only 20M? Why was he not signed? Jashari too much at 35M? Why waste time and not sign Guerra at 20M? All of the strikers we’ve been linked with are too expensive at over 50M? Why not sign Lucca at 35M, who actually moved for an initial loan of 9M with the balance in installments later ( so total budget hit this fiscal year is 9M)?
CM Ricci 23M
LB de Cuyper 20M
CM Guerra 20M
ST Lucca 9M
CM Modric free
Then since we have to be budget conscious this season due to lack of CL money, just use Jimenez and Saelemaekers at RB. People shade them for this position, but they can clearly play there and do it decently enough for a season where Serie A is the only responsibility.
73M spent. Done. Our incoming transfer market could have been closed already. Confirmed income from sales is 94M. So we cover this expenditure, plus 21M to reduce the 80M CL hole to 59M. This is all base done actual numbers.
Then we sell Musah for 23M (oh no, wait, let’s refuse this offer because it’s 2M short) and Pobega for 8M, to further reduce this to 28M. Then sell Bennacer, Adli and Okafor for a combined 28M (very possible) and…your CL loss is covered and we have a good squad.
I just don’t understand why this club always makes it so difficult for itself…
Because selling players is a lot harder than writing about it on a fan page. In case you haven’t noticed, no one is banging at our door for the players you mentioned. And since this club is run by all sorts of incompetent fools, they will always sell before they buy. But more often than not the good targets are gone by then, so we end up with junk from other clubs …
We could have accepted 20M€ for Musah, but Furlani decided that he is worth 25-30M€ and since then no one came for him so…
Like I said, we’re run by fools. The Musah offer was highway robbery – they should have accepted and ran.
The Musah deal was dependent upon Anguissa leaving Napoli. And he’s not.
You still don’t understand man we’ve had the same medicine for two full years.
Sell top players first, then craft on a budget. Play the waiting game. Then panic mode. Team is not ready and filled with inadequate players. Etc.
Anyway football is just a nuisance while the bankers are doing business. That’s what you shall understand.
Stick to EA FC Peter Pan
Hey, at least I’m thinking happy thoughts, and not commenting like a 13 year old. Remember that?
The problem are higher ups who think they know everything
Vitiello is reporting Pubil is undergoing a Milan medical in Barcelona.
That is they are trying to understand what shape his knee is in before deciding to negotiate for him. This is the same reason that Atalanta pulled out on him.
So the players from last season that are gone, and the ones that should be sold:
– Reijnders (his salary was 1.7 M net before the renewal), sold for 55 M
– Theo (4 M), sold for 25 M
– Kalulu, sold for 14 M
– Pellegrino, sold for 4 M
– Jovic (2.5 M)
– Tammy (4.5 M)
– Florenzi (3 M)
– Calabria (2 M)
I’m not including Morata because that deal is a little confusing, don’t know how much Milan paid him as salary last season, and don’t know if this coming season, if he stays at Galatasaray, if Milan will pay anything for him.
So at the moment, july 18, Milan has gotten 98 M in transfer fees (from Reijnders, Kalulu, Pellegrino and Theo), and has liberated around 17-18 M net in salaries (from the players listed above)
Milan should sell:
– Either Tomori (for 18-20 M, has salary of 3.5 M net) or Thiaw (for 15-18 M, salary 0.8 M net). Should be Tomori, has not justified his salary in the last seasons.
– Emerson (for 8-10 M, salary 2.5 M)
– Bennacer (for 15 M, salary 3.8 M) wouldn’t mind keeping him, if he can stay fit he is a very good player, but probably he is wanting to go and close this chapter in his career.
– Adli (for 10 M, salary 0.8 M)
– Musah (for 20 M, salary 2 M)
– Loftus-Cheek (for 12 M, salary 4 M) news are that Allegri counts with him, but too injury prone, and definetely does not justifies his salary, after Leao he is the best paid player in the squad (same salary as Pulisic, and Chukwueze who is another one that does not justifies his salary)
– Pobega (for 8-10 M, salary 1 M) i’m ok if he ends up staying as depth for the squad
– Okafor (for 12-15 M, salary 1 M) i’m also ok if he stays
– Chukwueze (for 12-15 M, salary 4 M) does not justifies at all his salary
F. Terraciano, D. Vasquez and Colombo should be sold, but won’t detail them since they represent between the 3 combined like 1.5 M net in salaries, and like 8 M between the three that could maybe go into the accounts if they are sold.
So you could potentially have around 200 M (little more/ little less, and that number is considering selling the players at the lowest sell option that i wrote for each) from selling those players, and around 40 M net freed up in salaries (and even more if they could find a way to terminate Origi’s contract, who is earning like 4-4.5 M net/ year)
And so far Milan has gotten:
– Ricci (for 23 M, salary will be 2.5 M net)
– Modric (salary 3.5 M net)
So Milan could have like a 180 M budget for the rest of the signings (and that is just by re-investing money that could be from sales, not counting money from the management, and ok let’s leave it at that since supposedly by not qualifying for Champions there are expected losses of 60-80 M, so let’s say that the money they would have approved for signings will go to mitigate that 60-80 M loss)
And signings needed are (minimum):
1 left back, 1 right back, 1 center forward, 1 centerback (Tomori should definetely leave, so another CB would be needed), 1 more midfielder (Loftus, Musah should leave, and very likely Bennacer, Adli will leave, and maybe also Pobega could leave).
So for this coming season Milan squad could be:
GK – Maignan, Terraciano and a 3rd choice maybe Torriani again.
LB – Bartesaghi and a new player (spend no more than 25M)
RB – Jimenez and a new player (spend no more than 20M)
CB – Gabbia, Pavlovic, Thiaw and a new player (spend no more than 30M)
Midfield – Fofana, Bondo, Modric, Ricci, + a new player (spend no more than 40M)
Forwards – Pulisic, Saelemaekers, Leao, Gimenez + one, or two new players if both Okafor and Chukwueze leave (spend no more than 60 M if it’s for 1 center forward, or no more tan 80 M if it’s for a striker plus a winger back up)
I don’t know who on earth is paying 10M for Emerson Royal, 20M for Tomori, 10M for Adli, 15M! for Bennacer…. that’s just fantasy. Because none of the players you listed are on form, they’re not first choice players for anyone – to move them on, we’re going to have to wait until other teams’ 4th or 5th choice players aren’t available and then see what sort of unfavourable terms they offer.
Some we’ll have to eat salary on, like Bennacer, others will only get loan offers with option clauses, some won’t want to move on a lower salary (eg Chukwueze), some we’re not even including in our first team so why should anyone offer a sum for (Adli). That’s the reality of underperforming players at an underperforming team.
There’s another option… try to get something better out of them, try to improve them – most of those are young guys with potential to be decent… why can’t we (Allegri’s team) coach that into some of them?
Remember bro champion league generate losses 80m. Milan have got 98m, 80m from that mount for backup champion league losses…
‘…why Milan mercato is currently sucks’
Fixed it for you.
Saved Calabria, could’ve saved about 20M for a FB this summer..
You don’t like it?? okay! Then spend 20M more on top of everything else. haha
There was a guy who fully supported Emerson and Walker in favor to kicking captain.
He has a Milan shirt avatar, but he will show up again. hahaha 🙂
Well when you have more players than needed clubs are going to ask for your players on the cheap…plus clubs you want to purchase players from know you have money from the Reinjders sale so there’s that part too. We have an overbloated squad. We put ourselves in predicaments we didn’t need to and we’re only playing one game per week next season. We needed to trim the squad, not purchase players. If we make top 4 next year, then sure there will be a need then and you can start a proper rebuild but getting even more players now in a team that has so many players is simply f.oolish. Penny wise pound foolish once more from the same management plus Tare for yet another year
Tijjani sale 60m was for backup champion league losses 80m. And then they bought Ricci 22m. So actually Milan have no money to spend again more than 20m. That’s parameter. That’s why Doue negotiate collapse and Jashari transfer was stuck.
Welcome to the club, Igli Tare 🍻😂😂
Why not Milan try the players from the youth sector ? No need budget, low cost salary and Italian. That’s the Milan tagline this season, isn’t it Poorlani & co ??!! 😂😂🍻🍻⚽⚽
MALDINI has mentioned. This management does not have the heart to invest does not matter who the sports director and coach are.
we have to buy players like jashari quickly and defenders and change formation