Home of AC Milan, Official Thread

Home of AC Milan, Official Thread

Since the arrival of Stefano Pioli, AC Milan have improved week after week. Above all, the individual performances have been much better, after the players looked lost at the start of the season.

Ismael Bennacer, who arrived from Empoli this summer, is one of the players who has improved a lot in recent weeks. Playing in the holding midfield role, the Algerian struggled at the start of the season, making too many mistakes.

However, Pioli has managed to turn his situation around, like with many other players in the team. Now, Bennacer is one of Milan’s most important players, directing the Rossoneri when in possession and recovering many balls in defence.

According to Calciomercato.com, the midfielder’s value has increased since he arrived at the club. The San Siro side paid €16m to bring in Bennacer, whose valuation now exceeds €25m. In other words, money well spent by Boban and Maldini.
 
*Maldini: Ibrahimovic increasingly difficult*

Milan director Paolo Maldini admits “the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes” to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but he doesn’t regret hiring Marco Giampaolo.

The match with Sassuolo kicks off at 14.00 GMT, click here for the LIVEBLOG.

In the build-up to the game, and today’s ceremony marking the 120th anniversary of AC Milan’s foundation, he was inevitably asked about the bid to bring Ibra back.

“Ibrahimovic is certainly an option and we are continuing to talk, but there are other options too,” Maldini told Sky Sport Italia.

“The more time passes, the more difficult it becomes. He hasn’t played since October 28, so it becomes a tricky situation.

“We are open to all talented players. The Leo Duarte injury caused us a few problems in defence, but Mattia Caldara is making his way back.”

Napoli, Bologna, Roma and Manchester United are also known to be interested in Ibrahimovic, who is a free agent after his LA Galaxy contract expired.

Meanwhile, the Rossoneri have won their last two games under coach Stefano Pioli and seek a third against Sassuolo today.

“We made a decision at the start of the season to bring in a coach with strong ideas and I would make that decision again,” insisted Maldini, despite the club sacking Marco Giampaolo.

“It didn’t work out with Giampaolo, but Pioli has brought his very direct way of doing things and is in sync with the directors.

“The team confirmed it was a good group of players, with a few defects largely down to a lack of experience.”
 
*Pioli: Milan tried everything*
Stefano Pioli was left to rue Milan errors after a 0-0 draw with Sassuolo. “We had 9-10 shots on goal and tried everything, but lacked precision.”

Rafael Leao came off the bench and hit the woodwork twice, not to mention Theo Hernandez seeing a goal disallowed for Franck Kessie’s handling offence.

“We could’ve had more pace and movement in the first half, but in the second we had about 9-10 shots on goal, we tried everything and it just wasn’t going to happen,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.

“Sassuolo are a good team, we knew they would cause us problems. Rafael Leao did well off the bench, everyone played with effort and generosity, but with a little bit of sharpness and precision, we could’ve brought home the points.

“We made some technical errors today that can prove very costly indeed at this level. With the more quality we have and the ability to shake off defenders, the better we can do. I think we lacked determination and the ability to finish our chances.

“Our players worked hard today, both in going forward and in tracking back, because Sassuolo play with a very high line. The fact we had 10 clear scoring opportunities means we put in a good performance, but our biggest limitation right now is that we have to create so many chances in order to get a goal. We need to score earlier.”

However, Pioli was quick to defend his star striker from the blame.

“Last week, the media said Krzysztof Piatek was our saviour, now people are going to criticise again, but they need to be more balanced overall in their evaluation. It’s not just him, everyone needs to do better.”
 
Boban: "A gift for the 120th anniversary? I don't know. Today Paolo [Maldini] has already talked about the market and I think I have to repeat his words. We are following so many things, but then we need to see if there really will be the necessity to do something."
 
It was a complicated match. Sassuolo played a good game. I think we played a good game. We created a lot of situations to score, but the ball did not want to enter the goal. Every day we work on the development and improvement of our skills. We need to be more effective in the next match.

About canceled goal:

I did not see well what exactly happened. I think Kessie's intervention was involuntary. The referee whistled a hand and we can't do anything about it. In today's match, the referee used the whistle quite often. Many warnings were unnecessary.

About suspension for the match against Atalanta:

I'm sorry I won't play this match. I will try to motivate the team to win this match in another way.

About the team:

Every day we work to make the team grow. We hope to return to winning in the next matches.
 
Agent Alessandro Lucci met Milan at Casa Milan today to discuss the possibility of renewing Calabria’s contract.

Milan have yet to reach an agreement with Barcelona for Todibo. Potential deal formula is loan+obligation to buy. Barca ask for €25M & a buyback option [Di Marzio]
 
Atalanta are seriously considering to sign Caldara back on loan with option to buy. Milan would be willing to let him go but Duarte's injury's blocking all movements. Caldara himself also wants to stay at Milan and play his chances [TMW]
 
Atalanta are seriously considering to sign Caldara back on loan with option to buy. Milan would be willing to let him go but Duarte's injury's blocking all movements. Caldara himself also wants to stay at Milan and play his chances [TMW]
 
Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to take his time, and AC Milan have started working on alternatives. In addition to Mario Mandzukic and Olivier Giroud, who both need playing time, a Real Madrid duo has been added to the radar.

According to today’s edition of Corriere Dello Sport (via MilanLive.it), the Rossoneri are evaluating alternatives for Ibrahimovic on the market, but above all at Real Madrid. Two names are in their sight: Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic.

Both, albeit for different reasons, are in need of a fresh start to revive themselves. For Milan, Jovic convinces more than Diaz, per the newspaper. Therefore, the Rossoneri could decide to re-establish contacts with Real Madrid in the next few days.
 
Zvonimir Boban admits Zlatan Ibrahimovic could “steer Milan in the right direction” as the striker is “unique, different to the others.”

Ibrahimovic been linked with a return to San Siro and Boban - in his role as Milan director - did nothing to stop the speculation, instead expressing only praise for the Swede.
 
AC Milan could make an attempt to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani in January, according to a report.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the primary target for Milan in January, but Paolo Maldini revealed on Sunday that the situation is becoming more difficult as time passes, suggesting that alternatives may have to be looked at.

According to Calciomercato.it, the great dream of the return of Ibrahimovic is becoming more and more complicated, and as a result the leadership are evaluating a number of different options.

The likes of Mario Mandzukic, Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz and Olivier Giroud are all potential avenues to explore but may be equally difficult, either due to the salaries of the players involved or the fee the clubs would command.

The report adds though that the Diavolo could land Edinson Cavani with a ‘remarkable effort’, as the Uruguayan is no longer a first choice at PSG.

His contract expires at the end of the season with practically zero chance of a renewal at present, as the 32-year-old has the full intention of trying a new adventure.

Cavani wants to return to Serie A, the outlet states, but the Ligue 1 giants do not want to lose him just yet and have instead offered Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, a name which does not particularly excite the Milanese leadership.
 
AC Milan could make an attempt to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani in January, according to a report.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the primary target for Milan in January, but Paolo Maldini revealed on Sunday that the situation is becoming more difficult as time passes, suggesting that alternatives may have to be looked at.

According to Calciomercato.it, the great dream of the return of Ibrahimovic is becoming more and more complicated, and as a result the leadership are evaluating a number of different options.

The likes of Mario Mandzukic, Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz and Olivier Giroud are all potential avenues to explore but may be equally difficult, either due to the salaries of the players involved or the fee the clubs would command.

The report adds though that the Diavolo could land Edinson Cavani with a ‘remarkable effort’, as the Uruguayan is no longer a first choice at PSG.

His contract expires at the end of the season with practically zero chance of a renewal at present, as the 32-year-old has the full intention of trying a new adventure.

Cavani wants to return to Serie A, the outlet states, but the Ligue 1 giants do not want to lose him just yet and have instead offered Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, a name which does not particularly excite the Milanese leadership.
 
The paper claims that Ibra’s return is difficult, but possible, and in the mean time the Rossoneri leadership are thinking about the idea of terminating Ante Rebic’s loan early to help make room for the 38-year-old.

The Croatia international arrived on a two-year loan with an option to buy set at €25million, but the winger could return to the Bundesliga as early as January.

Milan would save on six months of salary that remain to be paid from January to June, which is reportedly around €3million gross, money that the Rossoneri could reinvest in Ibrahimovic’s salary.

We revealed on December 13 that Rebic made contacts with Eintracht earlier in December through his entourage to gauge the possibility of an early return, and he was photographed dining with his former team-mates earlier this week.
 
Milan are considering two options as they look at signing a new player for the regista position in January, a report claims.

It was reported by Sky Italia earlier in the week that the Rossoneri are thinking about the idea of signing a new midfielder to play in front of the defence, with Ismael Bennacer to be deployed as a mezzala.

Meanwhile, Tuttosport (via MilanNews.it) then reported on Thursday that Milan are considering Arsenal trio Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Mohamed Elneny as potential options to fill the hole.

However, the same outlet – as cited by MilanNews.it – claims that there are two other potential regista targets that the Rossoneri leadership could explore deals for.

The first is Celta Vigo star Stanislav Lobotka, a player who has been branded the ‘new Luka Modric’ and has impressed hugely in LaLiga. The Slovakia international has been linked with Milan before; his agent even confirming interest from the Diavolo over the summer.

The other name is 21-year-old Genk starlet Sander Berge, who has amassed 26 appearances and scored four goals in all competitions, attracting interest from some of Europe’s top clubs with his Champions League displays.
 
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