Home of AC Milan, Official Thread

Home of AC Milan, Official Thread

Gini #Wijnaldum is not in #Galtier’s plans and he can leave #PSG this summer. The dutch midfielder earns €9M net/year, but #Paris are ready to sell him on loan and to pay the 50% of the salary. An intermediary has offered him to #ACMilan and #ASRoma in the last hours. #transfers
 
🇮🇹 Marco Nasti from #ACMilan to Serie B side Cosenza on loan. Contract already deposited.
 
Gerard #Deulofeu is getting closer and closer to #Napoli. Azzurri have offered €15M + bonuses to #Udinese to try to close the deal. Agreed personal terms for a contract until 2026 (€2,5M/year). #transfers
 
Serie A Power Rankings: Juventus' expectations heightened with Pogba and Di Maria; AC Milan still at the top


We are a month out from finally having Serie A soccer back in action. Some things have changed drastically in the offseason, which will leave an impact on the 2022-23 campaign. Also, many clubs are still working on their transfer strategies to fill out their rosters before the end of the summer transfer window on Sept. 1. Coaches are impatient to know what their teams will look like, and fans as well. Let's go around the Italy to examine where all 20 Serie A teams are as things stand one month before the official kickoff to the new season.
As always, you can catch every Serie A match on Paramount+ this season. You can quickly and easily sign up for your very own account right now with a free one-month trial (until July 19) by using GLORY as your offer code. Just click on the "try it free" button and use the promo code for instant access to the best soccer leagues across all your devices.

Top tier

The teams that are in the race to win the Scudetto this season.

1. AC Milan

Stefano Pioli's Rossoneri won the Scudetto last season and should be considered the frontrunners. New ownership arrived in late May, with the American private investment firm RedBird Capital signing a preliminary agreement to purchase the 19-time Serie A champions. Gerry Cardinale, the firm's founder, took charge and is putting his imprint on multiple aspects around the club as the ownership transition is expected to reach its completion by September. Paolo Maldini and sporting director Frederic Massara both stayed at the club and are now working to improve the current squad after the arrival of free agent Divock Origi. AC Milan lost midfielder Franck Kessie to FC Barcelona after failing to come to terms on a contract renewal. Pioli needs a replacement as soon as possible in that part of the field.

2. Inter Milan

Inter Milan failed to win a back-to-back Scudetto last season under coach Simone Inzaghi, who came away with the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana over Juventus as a consolation. It's been a pretty busy summer as Romelu Lukaku is back on loan one year after joining Chelsea. Ivan Perisic, one of the best players of the past season, joined Tottenham as free agent and Inter Milan signed goalkeeper Andre Onana as free agent, winger Raoul Bellanova (€3 million for the loan with a €7 million option to buy included) and Kristjan Asllani from Empoli (€4 million for the loan with a €10 million obligation to buy). Additionally, Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined the Nerazzurri from AS Roma as free agent, while Arturo Vidal, Matias Vecino, Andrea Ranocchia and Stefano Sensi all left the club. Inter now need to focus on outgoings with Milan Skriniar and Alexis Sanchez as the two players most likely to be out the door. Despite all these changes, Inter Milan are still one of the strongest sides and will definitely be in the race to win the Scudetto.

3. Juventus

The expectations are heightened for a savvy Juventus side that dipped into free agency to acquire Angel Di Maria and reunite with Paul Pogba, who's back with the club six years after joining Manchester United. Massimiliano Allegri will count on Dusan Vlahovic and especially Federico Chiesa, who should return from injury in two months. It's unlikely that Matthijs de Ligt will be part of the team this season, considering his desire to leave the club and the strong interest of Bayern Munich. Juventus is also picking up the pieces after the departures of club legend Giorgio Chiellini, Federico Bernardeschi and Paulo Dybala, who is still looking for his next club.

Outside looking in

Clubs that are fighting to play in Europe next season.

4. Napoli

It will be an interesting season for a Napoli that won't count on Lorenzo Insigne. The former captain left his childhood club to chase a new challenge with Toronto FC in North America. Additionally, Luciano Spalletti's side is on the verge of losing another key cog of the squad in the past decade in Kalidou Koulibaly, who is set to join Chelsea for approximately €40 million. It'll be interesting to figure out how much Napoli plan to invest from these sales as it will tell us much more about their ambitions. As it stands, they don't appear to be a likely Scudetto contender, considering the importance of the players who left the club -- Koulibaly in particular.

5. AS Roma

Jose Mourinho hoped to be backed a little more in the transfer market after winning the UEFA Conference League last May. Until now, the Giallorossi signed Nemanja Matic as a free agent and winger Zeki Celik from Lille. It is likely that something big may happen in the upcoming weeks before the beginning of the season, especially if Nicolò Zaniolo leaves the club (Juventus are in talks to sign him). The fans are dreaming of acquiring Paulo Dybala, but talks haven't started yet between the two sides. There's also interest among Inter Milan and Napoli. As of now, AS Roma's ambitions have not changed much from last season, so it's reasonable to see them competing for Europa League spots.

6. Lazio

It's been a busy summer for Lazio sporting director Igli Tare, who needed to sign a new goalkeeper in Luis Maximiano and three center backs in Mario Gila from Real Madrid, Nicolò Casale from Hellas Verona and Alessio Romagnoli as a free agent. Maurizio Sarri may no longer have his hands full as Lazio lacked continuity especially in the early stages of last season. Until now, Lazio have managed to keep all their key players as their ambitions slowly grow ahead of the new season.

7. Fiorentina

Vincenzo Italiano's side signed Luka Jovic from Real Madrid, which sent an important message to all the Serie A clubs. Fiorentina embarked on a new cycle last season after selling Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus and their project and aspirations have only increased with their summer moves. The club chose to extend Italiano's contract with hopes of improving from last season's seventh place finish, which ended with UEFA Conference League qualification.

8. Atalanta

Speaking of new cycles, we're definitely looking at a new dawn for the first time in Gian Piero Gasperini's tenure as Atalanta coach after the club failed to qualify to any European competitions. Some players are expected to leave the club in the coming weeks, but so far no big changes have been made to the roster apart from the summer acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Salernitana for approximately €15 million. Atalanta need something more in the transfer business if they want to be back in Europe next season

Middle of the pack

These teams are definitely going to stay in the league but have no chance to play in European competitions next season.

9. Sassuolo

Alessio Dionisi enters his second season in charge with higher expectations given how well he got hi team to play in the second half of last season. It seems unlikely that striker Gianluca Scamacca will be on the roster, with several European clubs -- notably West Ham and Paris Saint Germain -- in talks to sign the Italian player. The Neroverdi signed 21-year-old Uruguayan forward Alvarez Martinez, who is definitely a name to watch for the future.

10. Torino

Ivan Juric, who is known to pressure his front office when it comes to transfer business, might be losing one of his most important players this offseason. Torino defender Gelson Bremer could be headed to Inter Milan while club captain Andrea Belotti is already out the door as a free agent. Sporting director Davide Vagnati has his hands full in the next few weeks to provide to his coach

11. Udinese

Andrea Sottil was appointed as Udinese manager after Gabriele Cioffi joined Hellas Verona. A new era has started but most of the roster is still the same from last season, even if players such Gerard Deulofeu and Nahuel Molina have attracted the interests of multiple clubs.

12. Hellas Verona

Similarly to Udinese, with Cioffi is new to the club and is still waiting for some summer signings. He's also prepared to understand what will happen to striker Giovanni Simeone, who put together an incredible 2021-22 campaign with 17 goals and six assists, and is now on the lists of many clubs in and out of Italy.

13. Bologna

Sinisa Mihajlovic's side needs something different after a disappointing season that started with a bit of European ambition, but ended in a 13th-place finish. Giovanni Sartori is now in charge of the transfer business as he was introduced as the club's new technical director by way of Atalanta. Mihajlovic hopes that Sartori can replicate what he has done at Atalanta and bring some fresh talent to his roster.

14. Monza

This is by far the most interesting team in Serie A. After selling AC Milan in 2017, Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani only waited one year before launching a new project. Despite the fact that the club was playing in the third division, the Monza project was forward-looking from the very beginning. They invested money on players but also on infrastructures -- training center and the stadium -- on their way to bringing Monza to the first division for the first time in club history. With a clear goal to build a team that can finish in the top 10, they've signed Matteo Pessina from Atalanta, Alessio Cragno from Cagliari, Stefano Sensi on loan from Inter Milan and Andrea Ranocchia as a free agent. Clearly, we all expect more additions made before the window closes as Galliani is used to making some unexpected and incredible moves.

Bottom dwellers

These sides are struggling and are fighting to keep their spot in Serie A for next season.

15. Empoli

Empoli might run the risk of a drop-off campaign if they dig themselves a hole like they did at the start of last season. Aurelio Andreazzoli was sacked by the club and former Venezia coach Paolo Zanetti became the new manager.

Andrea Pinamonti, who scored 13 goals last season, left the club after the end of his loan spell, while Inter Milan signed midfielder Kristjan Asllani, another key player from last season. Mattia Destro may have arrived as Pinamonti's replacement at striker, but Empoli still have work to do in the coming weeks to fill other vacancies.

16. Spezia

Thiago Motta left the club and former Udinese head coach Luca Gotti was appointed as Spezia's new manager. They need something more on the pitch to avoid relegation, but the experience they had in the past two seasons will be a factor, which is why I have them ahead of other clubs.

17. Salernitana

They cannot afford to replicate another miraculous late-season charge to avoid relegation this season. Davide Nicola stayed with the club, but he's now working under a new director with Walter Sabatini out and Morgan De Sanctis in by way of AS Roma. De Sanctis took charge of the transfer market and has already made some interesting moves to acquire striker Erik Botheim from Krasnodar and defender Mattia Lovato from Atalanta. They will definitely need something more, but the roster looks promising in their quest to stay in the first division another season.

18. Sampdoria

The club is working hard despite pretty difficult circumstances as it is still looking to sell the club. That's why there is not much money on the table for the summer with the ownership only working on loans and swap deals. They can't seem to really afford a real budget for the summer transfer window.

19. Lecce

Great news: It's great to see one of the historic clubs back in the Serie A. Not-so-great news: At the moment, the caliber of this roster won't be enough to stay in the league and avoid relegation. Coach Marco Baroni needs more talent in the midfield and a new striker, despite the arrival of Lorenzo Colombo from AC Milan.

20. Cremonese

Their success in the Italian second division berthed a new opportunity in the top flight. But as things stand based on summer activity, not enough has been done to guarantee a place in Serie A after this season. The roster definitely needs more experience and players that have already played in the first division to survive and avoid relegation.
 
Milan are working under track for Eljif Elmas and could make an offer to Napoli in the coming days

[@TuttoMercatoWeb]
 
Andre Onana to @DAZN_IT: “Ziyech is a great player and we have spoken about his possible arrival [to Milan]. I would be happy for him but at the same time we would be rivals and we can’t be friends like before.”
 
A U.S. judge has authorized a minority investor in AC Milan to obtain documents in a legal effort to block the hedge fund Elliott Investment Management LP from completing a 1.2 billion euro ($1.21 billion) sale of the Italian soccer club.

t.co

AC Milan investor can obtain documents in bid to block Elliott sale

A U.S. judge has authorized a minority investor in AC Milan to obtain documents in a legal effort to block the hedge fund Elliott Investment Management LP from completing a 1.2 billion euro ($1.21 billion) sale of the Italian soccer club.
t.co t.co
 
Former footballer and current pundit Daniele Adani, speaking to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via SempreMilan.it), has heaped praise on the Frenchman.

“Adli has been my workhorse for three and a half years. I know this because I met him for work reasons when he was still very young. If you like football, you can’t help but fall in love with his elegance and his class on the pitch. Adli is undoubtedly a class player and I’m happy he ended up in the hands of a modern and innovative coach like Stefano Pioli.

“I’ll be clear: Adli is a playmaker for me, in the current sense of the term, because he can be both a mezz’ala and an attacking midfielder. To play in midfield tandem, however, something is missing: the defensive run for example.

“I don’t expect Adli to amaze immediately, he will need time just like Tonali. And then slowly, with calm and above all a culture of work, I’m sure he’ll come out. Milan is a guarantee in this sense,” he stated.
 
🚨 Maldini and Massara have also accompanied the squad to Cologne. The rest of players who joined the pre-season in the past couple of days will continue training in Milanello
 
🚨 Milan squad for Köln friendly tonight:

Tatarusanu
Mirante
Kalulu
Ballo Toure
Gabbia
Florenzi
Michelis
Coubis
Stanga
Bartesaghi
Brescianini
Pobega
Bakayoko
Gala
Robotti
Adli
Traore
Giroud
Rebic
Messias
Diaz
Maldini
Roback

[@AntoVitiello] https://t.co/dCN1QNgjgJ


Understandably leao Theo tomori and other players that recently arrived didn't make the squad in time.
 
AC Milan will face Köln in their first real pre-season friendly this evening and kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 CEST. Unlike the game against Lemine, this one will not be streamed by the club.

The friendly is part of the 2022 edition of the Telekom Cup and since it’s a more high-profile clash than the one against Lemine, it has been sold to providers. Therefore, Milan will not stream it on their app.

Instead, you will have to take a look at LiveSoccerTV to see if the game is broadcasted in your country. If your country isn’t present on the list, then take a look at the schedule of your local provider. Italy isn’t present, for example, but SportItalia will stream the game.

Because the game has been sold to a variety of broadcasters around the world, Milan cannot stream it as they usually do with friendlies. A geo-based stream cannot be ruled out, though, in case several countries haven’t bought the game.
 
Devil's Advocate: Milan must review their wage policy or the project will never evolve

AC Milan have found themselves at a real crossroads despite the fact that they won the Scudetto last season, because some tough decisions will have to be made.


The precursor to this discussion starts back in 2018, when Elliott Management took control of the club following a very aggressive period of expansion under Yonghong Li, with regards to squad costs and in particular player salaries.

Elliott have tightened the expenses in recent years which has created a virtuous cycle of sorts, and as part of this Milan have seen their wage budget drop from €150m gross in 2018-19 to about €100m as of last season (post the January window).

As a comparison with the teams in Italy, Napoli’s wages were €110m, Inter’s were around €130m while Juventus stood out above all at €172m gross, meaning Milan were comfortably the least of the current top four.

Looking at other league leaders around Europe, Bundesliga table-toppers Bayern had a wage bill of €192m, PSG were at €470m, Manchester City’s was €258m and finally Real Madrid paid out €401m in gross salaries for 2021-22.
 
Charles De Ketelaere has been heavily linked with AC Milan over the last few weeks and it seems the negotiations are entering a crucial face. The Rossoneri, unwilling to wait for too long, have made a deadline clear.

Stefano Pioli has asked the management to bring in a world-class player for the attacking trio and preferably a versatile one. De Ketelaere fits the bill, not just because of his age and quality, but also because he can play at CAM or RW.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio (via MilanNews), Milan are still waiting for a proper response from Club Brugge regarding the €30m offer put on the table. Monday will be decisive as the Rossoneri want to close the deal then.

Why Monday? Club Brugge will take part in the Belgian Supercup final on Sunday and thus Milan have decided to wait until after the clash. In other words, Monday could be the ‘take it or leave it’ day and it’s also possible Milan could increase their offer slightly
 
Sanches rejects PSG's advances despite being offered a 'blank cheque'
a day ago / autty
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have reportedly been left frustrated after losing out on Renato Sanches despite offering the LOSC Lille midfielder a “blank cheque.” According to El Nacional, Sanches is now set to join AC Milan.


The Parisians are usually confident of signing anybody on the planet due to their ambitious project and seemingly unlimited money. Kylian Mbappe's renewal was also expected to increase their chances of signing top players this summer.

However, the club have already lost out on two high-profile targets. They reportedly fought till the last minute for French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. But the player wanted a challenge outside of France and ultimately chose Real Madrid.

After missing out on Tchouameni, the Parisians have now failed in their pursuit of Sanches. The midfielder has played under new PSG boss Christophe Galtier, who was able to bring the best out of him during their 2020-21 Ligue 1 title victory.

El Nacional's report added that the French giants were confident of signing Sanches. However, with rumors suggesting that he could move to AC Milan, they have now been forced to look for different options in midfield.

PSG still need to reinforce their squad ahead of next season
PSG seem to have no dearth of money and have generally been able to sign the players that they want. Last summer saw the arrival of multiple high-profile stars, including six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and Spanish centre-back Sergio Ramos.

The Parisian outfit were also able to fend off interest from Real Madrid to keep Mbappe. The Frenchman is already one of the best players in the world and among the favorites to dominate once the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era comes to an end.

PSG’s squad for last season had enough quality to challenge for the UEFA Champions League. However, their dramatic elimination at the hands of eventual winners Real Madrid proved that the club still has work to do.

According to Le Parisien (via the Mirror), as many as 11 players could be allowed to leave the Parc des Princes this summer. This will allow the reigning Ligue 1 champions to reset their wage bill and bring in quality players who will fit in better with Galtier's philosophy.
 
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