@han, id like to put this disclaimer: nobody and no choice could be perfect.

That out of the way, I believe Maldini and Massara has done a splendid job. Mistakes? Yes there were mistakes and there will be in the future. But with all things considered they have made pretty shrewd decisions. Case in point Kalulu, they gave him room to grow and build on what he has to offer by not bringing in a like for like replacement as a result of Kjaer?s injury. Maignan a direct replacement for Dollaruma. The first #9 to break the curse of that shirt number since Inzaghi?s retirement. Tomori? Theo? Leao? Tonali? I mean, these are players that have formed a core.

We go into this summer window with certain objectives, some are like for like replacements and some to add quality/depth.

So proud of Paolo! Beyond imagination, what he has done as a sporting director has been immense. I would also extend this to Gazidis?s leadership ? as it hurts to loss Dollaruma and Kessie, two players capable of being flag bearers for the club.

Wont name names beyond Botman and Sanches, but I am interested in who else could come. Belotti would be a perfect addition (perfect as in fits the budget and a player who adds depth). Mobile/complete striker? Yes please, but then again lets see what Maldini and co have brewing on a low fire for us

I agree about Belotti. But with next season most likely being Zlatan and Giroud's final season with us, would you take him if it mean we direct those funds to the RW position?

Because we all know the budget won't be limitless. We need to make a couple of good sales as well imo. Krunic could fetch us a half decent sum, maybe Alexis as well. Samu I've lost hope that we'll get an actual transfer fee for him.

I agree totally re the issue of quantity vs quality. But with the injury problems, we have to keep an eye on the number of players in our roster as well. As it cannot be too thin

I don't see Florenzi as a LB alternative. He's rather awkward looking in that position imo. I'd redeem him for sure as he's a great squad player but only for the right side and maybe midfield if we go for a 4-3-3 next season. We need a proper Theo backup next season. Maybe bring in a dependable Serie A player who's not flashy but can do the job when Theo isn't avilable.

Romagnoli and Kessie will be replaced most likely by Botman and Sanches+Pobega. Plus Adli coming in as well. So if Sanches comes in the midfield area will be pretty stacked. Same goes for the CB position with the addition of Botman coming in an Kjaer returning from injury.

The RW for me is still the biggest issue. I've been saying since 2019 that we have a Ferrari situation on the left side and a Fiat situation on the other side.

Obviously Calabria has come a long way since Pioli's first season with us, but he really needs a collaborator on that right side like with Theo and Leao/Rebic.


Agree completely that all those players have made huge strides. We just need to find the other complementary pieces to add to them to have a more complete and competitive team. I really do think that this squad has the best future outlook in all of Serie A. We just need to improve those last few positions to go to the next level. I think Botman and Sanches will help in that, and I trust the management with those decisions. A RW and Theo backup would imo complete the squad. We can go all out for a striker the following summer

It really boils down to how much we're going to spend this summer. Gazzetta reported a couple of weeks ago that we'll have a budget of 100m. Considering we spent 75m last summer, with the extra revenues this season I wouldn't deem it that far-fetched.

With 100m we could get 3-4 quality players no doubt.

In today's market, I really doubt that 100m will get you 4 quality players. Maybe 3 at most. With Sanches and Botman hopefully being locked down that's already potentially 50 to 60m out of the budget. We're most like going to pick up the option on Florenzi so that's another 4m

Maybe we can get some incoming cash from some half decent sales (Hauge, Paqueta % on resale, Krunic - unlikely since Pioli likes him but we're going to be stacked in that area)

But we'll probably have around 40m left to spend on the attack. And for me. I'd rather divert it completely to a RW rather than split it on a RW and striker as 20m won't get you anyone decent

I wouldn't sign Sanches. He's too injury prone, beyond what we can afford. And it's not like it's only this season or the one prior, but his entire career has been conditioned by countless injuries.

I made a count from Transfermarkt. Since 16/17 he's missed 69 games. 69! Not counting the latest injury this weekend which saw him leave the pitch in tears. It's not worth it, people. We're not ManCity with a deep bench. Someone like Sanches would be a serious investment and having him out for half the games would be too steep a price to pay.

why are we even considering this origi as striker?

Because we're cheapskates, why else. He'd be coming as a free agent.

Zlatan will probably renew for another year. Giroud has one year left in his contract. So management probably thinks it's not the right moment to spend a lot of money on a CF.

The only good thing out of this is that perhaps we could divert those funds on a quality RW.

Nothing is concrete as of yet, Paolo and Massara?s respective contracts expire this summer and the club has not yet tied them down with extensions.

The focus is on obtaining maximum results this season. Depending on that, Milan can begin to iron out the details for their targets and engage in renewal talks for their directors and players.

As if Milan win the league, it means more investments. Milan qualify for CL only, then less investments. Milan get burned out and drop out of top 4 then minimal investments.

A lot is dependent on what happens from now till May. Sanches and a CB will remain a priority for Milan though.

I'd still take the chance on Sanches. He'd be transformative for our midfield. Not to mention his versatility. Yes, he's had injury issues which is worrying but I think the upside he'd bring out-weighs this


@R7, I saw a week or so ago that both Paolo and Massara are about to renew their deals. I'm really not worried about either as they've both done impeccable jobs since coming in.

As for Origi. I think he'd fit into our system, plus he has a pretty good goal/game ratio playing mostly as a sub for Liverpool. I've said this for a while now. With Zlatan and Giroud both being here next season, I wouldn't mind going for a cheap solution in the striker position and divert the fund on a RW, CB, CM and back up LB.

We can't do it all in one summer. But that RW position is a must. And with both Kessie and Romagnoli on their way out, replacing them is also a big priority. Just those 3 positions will most likly take up the entirety of the budget.

I really hope we can make some decent sales. We should look into trying to offload Alexis at this point as he seems to have hit a wall and is even regressing at this point. Krunic if we bring in Sanches and keep Pobega is going to be surplus as well.

Maybe we can pick up around 20m from those 2

You'll be eating these words when next year we'll be playing Krunic CM again because Sanches is out injured.

Why are you so hard on me x-off??

Just let me bask in my love for Sanches pls



Anyway. We'll have good depth in the midfield area with Adli and Pobega coming in. Not too worried about Krunic

Looks like Origi is almost a done deal.

Don't know how to feel about this. Again, if we can divert those funds towards a quality RW then I guess I would be fine with it. Or maybe we're going to sign Origi and another CF, who knows.

I also read a report about us being interested in Brugge's De Ketelaere. Guy can play RW, AM and even CF. Haven't seen him play, just YouTube stuff. Great technique but looks a bit lightweight and not very fast. That was my preception anyway.

Di Marzio: "Kessie has already signed for Barcelona and sustained his medical. He'll earn 7m per season for 4 years"

Good riddance.

Yes, Schira saying it's done now. And he's usually reliable

Honestly, I'm happy with this as it will free up the money for other areas. And I think for a free agent, he'd be better than Belotti who has been hit and miss for a while now, plus he's younger. And I don't think it would make any sense to get another striker unless Zlatan isn't renewing - which imo would only happen if Sweden were to miss the World Cup and we win the Scudetto, otherwise I think he'll want another season. So it wouldn't make any sense to have 4 CFs for one position

Origi has better technique than Belotti, he's quicker, just as powerful, is more versatile and will bring in that movement we lack with Ibra and Giroud but thrived off of when Rebic played there at the start of the season. Plus he's used to playing in a system where he's part of a press which isn't the case with Belotti.

I feel sorry for Belotti as I know he's a Milan fan as well and wanted the move, but I really feel like he's missed the boat. Whoever advised him to sign that contract 5 years ago really f@cked him over


Well at least he didn't go to Inter or Juve. I'll give him that

Just help us win the title, so at least it won't be such a bitter farewell as with the other 2 mofos

Italy man...

So disappointing. Two consecutive WCs now. Just no words, how a team can go from being European champions to not making the WC...

Mancini is the biggest dumbass out there. Immobile, Berardi, Insigne. These guys are never going to do it for the NT because they're just not cut out for he big stage

He's got Scamacca on the bench, never gives him an opportunity, same goes for Zaniolo when Beraradi is stinking up the place. Barella at this point is gassed and running on fumes, yet he keeps insisting on him. Just inexcusable. Same thing over and over again against Switzerland, Ireland and not Macedonia. Keeps beating a dead horse.

And please never mention Berardi again next to Milan's. This guy disgusts me. He can do it for Sassuolo when there's never any pressure but he's absolute sh!t when it really matters

Scamacca was out injured tonight. Keeping guys like Zaniolo and Zaccagni out and insisting with the likes of Berardi and Insigne, now that was foolish. Joao Pedro! Fucking Joao Pedro, man! Sorry Mancini, but you deserved to go out.

I feel sorry for Italy because they're the only team I support in international competitions. This is an epochal embarassment, much worse than 4 years ago. To be eleminated by North fucking Macedonia, man. Which only had a shot on goal in the 92th minute. Scandalous. Simply scandalous.

+10000

:pirate:Dollaruma

Italy is the team from Europe that I am fond of in international competitions. Sad to see them bow out like this. But Dollaruma im happy he is so successful. CL and now WC.

Didn't know he was out. But yeah, the inclusion of Joao Pedro is ridiculou. I'd rather he have given Mario another chance or even put in Belotti.

Insinge has scored ONE open play goal all season for Napoli, just ridiculous to keep insisting with him. Same goes for Barella when Pellegrini and Tonali are in much better form

Verrati btw is amazing, I don't understand why he keeps wasting away in France when he could do it in much better leagues and get the recognition he deserves.

I'd still keep Mancini though. He'll learn from this. And the other options being mentioned are horrifying anyway




The Azzurri are my NT. But Donna's March nightmare is lowkey satisfying

Hakan out of the WC as well

He's been sh!t for Inter for the last 2 months or so as well.

Beautiful karma

I hope my posting here doesn't jinx the very real probability of us winning the Scudetto...

We're fucked.

I'm surprised there's no kiss emoji.

Asensio being heavily linked with us.

GdS: Investcorp have ?300m ready to improve Milan?s squad ? the names from Nkunku to Haller

Gazzetta love to bullshit around. How do they expect to be taken seriously by publishing crap like this? 300m? Arabs or no Arabs, that's never going to happen. We'd be lucky to spend 1/3 of that.

The biggest irony is that they didn't even know about this potential sale before Bloomberg broke the news

Yeah, and all of a sudden they know everything when the deal hasn't even been reached yet. Online you already have people invoking Haaland's name because of crap like this.

Anyway, there's room to feel very optimistic about this. Investcorp are a very reputable group, and their goal seems to be to diversify and expand their reach in Europe and in football. The money they are spending to acquire us (1.1 billion according to Bloomberg?a lot!), goes to showcase their serious intentions on the matter.

The best thing we can expect out of this are some lucrative sponsorship deals that would allow us to spend more and increase the salary cap.

Investcorp is a private equity and alternative investment company.

They invest on behalf of their clients.

Investcorp investing in Milan means they have a pool of clients that seek such exposure.

So it is not Investcorp but their clients that are funding this purchase, however Investcorp acts on their behalf.

Now you can all rest easy.

Can you go into a bit more details on what kind of implications this can have for Milan?

If they want to invest in Milan, they see value in the club/brand. As in any investment you want to see the value appreciate, so that is the only implication I can honestly see.

But it should be noted that although Investcorp is the face we fans will see. It is behind closed doors that investors will give Investcorp the mandate to manage Milan. Will those investors show face one day? Highly unlikely. Controversy? Not really, Elliott?s ownership of Milan was nothing but a pool of investors funds as well. But the mandate of management was provided by said investors.

Historically Investcorp had done brilliant returns for their investors, they are a well managed investment house. I could see the work of Elliott continued with them, however as with any takeover there will be a stellar signing to get the fans grooving.

My main concern is that the takeover if happening does take the whole summer. We need it to materialize quickly rather then waiting for whole summer to see if the takeover goes through or not

From what I hear the due diligence is underway, the deal should be sealed around the beginning of June. But either way management operations will not be influenced, so negotiations like Botman and Origi will go through either way.

Looks like Botman is 99% a done deal. Mediaset reports today that there's total agreement on everything. 3M per season to the player, 30M + 5M bonuses to Lille.

Gotta say, that's quite the expensive signing for us, especially for a defender.

I really do hope that he budget is big enough to properly improve the attack

Because spending such a big chunk on a CB when Kalulu and Tomori are becoming such a great paring would otherwise make no sense. Especially when we could have probably took Bremer for the same kind of money. Now there's the horrific and highly likely possibility of him going to Inter.

Origi is also pretty much done. I think he'll be a great addition for our attack tbh. Skillful, strong, quick, plays for a team like Liverpool so he's adapt at pressing. These will be 2 good additions overall.

We should also try to close out the Sanches deal early. I think out of all the signing we could make, he'll be the game changer for us. Class player, just a bit injury prone which is worrying, but I'm still hopeful that we het him, which would just leave the question of the RW. And I really do hope we go all out there.

I think Botman is a better signing than Bremer. Bremer is too similar to Tomori and Kalulu, whereas Botman is that strong physical left-footed player that would better complement either Tomori, Kalulu or even Kjaer. Besides, he's Maldini's first choice, and I think Paolo knows a thing or two about defending. Even Stam said this week that Botman will become a world class defender. So, let's be hopeful.

But we need 3 top quality signing in that attack: AM, RW, CF. Origi will be a good sub, but we need a great and reliable goalscorer.

Don't think we'll get another striker tbh. We'll have Origi, Giroud, maybe Ibra as well. Can't see us getting another one.

I think bringing in a top notch RW would solve a lot of the issues we have in our attacking game. Renato can play either CM or AM so we'll have options in terms of the formations we play, not to mention Adli and Pobega coming back from loan.

If Renato Sanches comes in I personally think he'll be our AM signing. So that leaves a good chunk of money to spend on a RW and we should not try to skimp there. It is absolutely essential for our play to bring in someone who's just as dangerous as Leao is on the other wing.

There's a huge question mark on Zlatan's permanence. Personally I would never renew his contract and I'd get a top quality CF. I think that's going to be the primary goal this summer.

There are rumours about an interest in Darwin Nunez, but I just can't see us spending 60-70 mil for a player.

No way we can afford him.


Re Zlatan, I think if we win the title he retires, if not I think he'll want another season. That being said, it's come to a point where he plays for 15 minutes and is out for a month. Unfortunately his body is breaking down on him. For a small wage I'd still let him stay though. He's still a big influence on the team behind the scenes

So you agree that we can't have only Origi, Giroud and Zlatan then. We need another quality CF. Origi is great as backup, but he cannot be our starter. And Giroud is only fine as 3rd option. He'll be 36 next season.

Haller has also been linked with us, but I woudn't spend 45M on him, also considering his age and all. I'm curious who Maldini is eyeing.

GdS: Mahrez could be Investcorp's first statement signing but a big financial package is needed

?40m for a 31-year-old? Who would believe this crap?

We'd still have Rebic though. I think Origi, Giroud, Zlatan and Rebic would be fine, as long as we have a better supporting cast behind them they'll score. Origi can be the starting CF for us. Just because he was always Liverpool's super sub doesn't mean that he cannot be our starting CF. He's still young and has all the attributes to be successful in Serie A. Giroud can be the back up while Zlatan at this point will mostly just be a figure head. Rebic can always step in as well.

It also depends on who we bring in for the RW. Gabriel Jesus has been mentioned. He's be perfect as he plays both RW and CF. Don't know how realistic that is but with the new ownership coming in, I do think we'll have a good transfer budget to work with this summer.


Mahrez would be perfect for us. But now way would it be for that kind of money. Not only is he 31, but his contract expires in 2024

that idiot Yonghong filed a 320 M law suit against Eliott

Like you said, an idiot. I read Elliott are not worried at all.

Di Maria is about to become a free agent. I read Juventus are negotiating with him for a 1-year contract.

Personally, I would seriously consider him. Yes, the guy is 34, but he's still world class, and a 1-2 year contract would be acceptable. Maybe have him as starter for next season so we can invest in a quality striker this summer, and then worry about the RW in 2023.

That looks really good actually, but Di Maria would still demand high wages, don't know if it's doable for us.

That report I read said he wants 7M. Maybe we can give him 6M + 1M bonuses. But anyway, regardless of who we go for the right flank, I just hope it's not Berardi. One of the most overrated players in Italy.

Agreed.

We should really go after Di Maria.

Most likely going to Juve.

Why do these players keep going to that graveyard FFS?

Allegri will ruin him before I can say the word GO

Yeah, Di Maria would have been a sweet deal. He's asking a bit too much and also a 3-year contract at least from what I've read, but we could have still tried to make it work. Guy is still world class.

I'm very curious to see who we'll sign for that right wing. One thing's certain, it's going to be someone of quality.