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Former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko has spoken about the derby defeat in the Champions League, Paolo Maldini’s plan for the team and Rafael Leao’s rise.

Shevchenko was present at the Padel Cup organised by Lega Serie A in Rome at the Il Baiardo Sports Centre and he was interviewed about a number of topics related to Milan, with his comments relayed my PianetaMilan.

Firstly he was asked about Milan’s defeat against Inter in the Champions League semi-final, one that was heavily conditioned by a nightmare first 12 minutes in the first leg, in which the Nerazzurri scored twice en route to a 3-0 aggregate win.

“It was heavy, but Inter deservedly won, especially in the first 15 minutes they played beautiful football. But it was a good season for Milan… despite the many difficulties they reached the semi-finals,” he said.

“Pioli’s season has been a good season, Milan are in the running for fourth place, they reached the semi-finals. Pioli is a great coach for me, last year he won the Scudetto playing very well, I hope it continues like this.”

It is expected to be the week in which Leao puts pen to paper on a contract extension with the Rossoneri until 2028, and the feeling is that the Portuguese winger could follow the lead of Sheva in being the star man of the attack for years to come.

“He’s an important player, let’s hope he stays, I read that Paolo said he’s staying. Rafael can grow even more,” he said.

Finally, the former Ukraine international was asked about what Milan need to do in the transfer market, with his close friend and ex team-mate Paolo Maldini calling the shots.

“I know Paolo very well, he will do everything to strengthen the team together with Massara, you have to believe in them.”
 
#Gazzetta: Gerry Cardinale is arriving in Milan to meet with the club's management and plan the transfer market and budget for the upcoming season, which is not expected to exceed 50M€. Additionally, the revenue from potential player sales will be added to the budget.
 
#Tuttosport: Bureaucratic issues and commitments with the Japanese national team have caused a delay in #Kamada's signing with AC Milan. By the end of June, he is expected to finalize his commitment to #ACMilan.
 
🚨Burnley are eyeing a move for AC Milan striker Divock Origi, 28.
🇧🇪 🔴 #Burnley 🔴 #SempreMilan
 
Milan's transfer market is about to get on the go. There are many contacts in progress for various players both arriving at the Rossoneri club and at the start. Niccolò Ceccarini summarized the main situations in his editorial onTuttomercatoweb.com. Daichi Kamada, according to the market expert journalist, is already a player of the Via Aldo Rossi club and this week there will be a new meeting between the parties to define the details of the agreement for the four-year 3 million per season.

Niccolò Ceccarini has turned off the last chances to continue to see Brahim Diaz at Milan. Maldini and Massara tried to lower Real Madrid's claims, failing to do so. The current 10 of Milan will return to the blancos at the end of the 3 years lived in Milan on the Rossoneri side. He will have the role of replacement for Marco Asensio who will free himself at zero on June 30.

Director Niccolò Ceccarini then revealed that: “The Rossoneri continue to monitor the situation related to Baldanzi“. The Empoli owner of the card of the player who is behaving well at the Under 20 World Cup in Argentina will let him leave only for a non-rejectable offer. Finally, the journalist confirmed that the most concrete hypothesis in the near future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic is that of Monza.
 
🚨 Ibrahimovic will be saluted by the fans at San Siro in the ceremony post Milan-Verona, then he will hold a press conference
 
#Romagnoli to #DAZN: "Here, I found a project that convinced me, and I knew I could improve my qualities. At AC Milan, a cycle had come to an end, it was only right to leave as we had different views. I will always be grateful, but I am happy with the way things have turned out."
 
AC Milan will say goodbye to Zlatan Ibrahimovic tonight not only with a ceremony but also a press conference which will round off his second spall at the club.

Ibrahimovic will see his current contract with Milan expire on June 30 and there will be no renewal. It is a joint decision after discussions between the player and the club, who want to celebrate with a ceremony in front of the over 70,000 fans present.

As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it report, the muscle injury sustained against Lecce will force Zlatan to miss tonight’s match against Verona, but the San Siro tribute will still be guaranteed.

In addition to the farewell on the San Siro turf, Ibrahimovic will also be called to speak in a post-match press conference, which an opportunity for him to say goodbye to the Rossoneri and send a last message to his team-mates and the fans.

The 41-year-old will also talk about his future and it is not expected that he will retire as a player, with speculation suggesting a move to Monza could be an option.
 
Alessio Romagnoli has spoken again about his decision to leave AC Milan last summer and join his boyhood club Lazio on a free transfer.

Romagnoli spent over half a decade at Milan having joined back in the summer of 2015, but he left on a free transfer and joined the team he grew up supporting at the end of last season.

He has previously said that there could have been ‘more clarity’ around his renewal with the Rossoneri – which ended up never being finalised – perhaps because Milan did not negotiate with Romagnoli soon enough or make their plans clear.

Last night Lazio beat Empoli and secured second place in the standings, something that few believed possible at the start of the season, as underlined by Romagnoli.

“We’re happy because we wanted to finish second. We had a great season, even if we only believed in it, we knew we were strong,” he said (via Calciomercato.com).

“I knew we had a lot of potential and I’m happy. We had a great season. Here I found a project that convinced me and I knew that here I could enhance my characteristics.”

Speaking more specifically about his decision to leave Milan, he admitted that the time was right to try something new.

“A cycle was over, it was right to leave, we had different views. I will always thank them but I’m happy like this.”

Finally, he spoke about working under Maurizio Sarri: “He is a master, one of the few who teaches football. We have had a season better than those who thought we could not get to the Champions League, we are happy to have done our talking on the pitch.”
 
AC Milan are aiming to end the season in the best possible way with a win against relegation-threatened Hellas Verona at San Siro.

The win against Juventus in the last round means that Milan have already secured a top four spot, while Verona need to better Spezia’s result (they are away at Roma) in order to avoid relegation to Serie B.

You can read our pre-match preview here, while below are the best stats ahead of the game…

➤ Milan have won the last four league matches against Verona, though they have never achieved five consecutive wins against them in Serie A.

➤ Verona have drawn 13 away matches against Milan in the top-flight, with only Torino having more away draws (15). Furthermore, Verona are winless away to Milan in 30 league visits, only facing Inter and Juventus on more such occasions without winning (both 32).

➤ With 67 points, Milan have secured qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League. The last time Milan reached this milestone with such a low points total at the end of the season was in 2002-03 (61 points).

➤ Milan have earned 40 points at home this season. If they win this match, they will have the highest difference (16) between points earned at home (43) and away (27). Currently, Juventus and Inter have a larger difference (15), and Empoli also has a difference of 13.

➤ Verona have gained 31 points so far in the season, only three times in the era of three points for a win have they earned so few points – 27 in 1996-97, 28 in 2015-16, and 25 in 2017-18. In all these seasons, Verona were relegated.

➤ Verona have won only one away match this season (1-0 against Lecce in May). Each of the last 11 teams with only one away victory at the end of the Serie A season have been relegated (Cagliari were the last team to avoid relegation in 2013-14).

➤ Milan have conceded 10 headed goals this season. Since the availability of this data (since 2004-05), Milan have only conceded more headed goals in a single Serie A season in 2012-13 (15).

➤ Milan are the team that have scored the most goals in the first 30 minutes of play in this season (21). Conversely, Verona have conceded more goals in the 90th minute or later than any other side in Serie A this season (10).


➤ Olivier Giroud has scored 12 goals in a single season in a big five European league for the first time since 2016-17 (also 12 goals, with Arsenal). The Frenchman has not achieved a better tally since 2015-16 (16 goals).

➤ In 2023, Verona have won 33% of the matches in which Simone Verdi has played (5 out of 15), resulting in an average of 1.3 points per game. On the other hand, they have secured only one victory in seven matches without him (14% win rate, 0.9 average points).
 
The spotlight will all be on Zlatan Ibrahimovic tonight as he says goodbye to AC Milan, but there are 12 players who may no longer be part of the squad next season.

As Calciomercato.com report, two guaranteed departures are Ciprian Tatarusanu and Sergiño Dest, with the former on a contract which expires at the end of the month and the latter on a loan deal which runs out on the same day.

Brahim Diaz is destined to start, but it could be his last appearance at San Siro as a Rossoneri player. Paolo Maldini would like to buy him for a sum not exceeding €20-22 , but Real Madrid seem to have different ideas with Marco Asensio leaving.

Ante Rebic and Divock Origi are both available for transfer this summer, while Tiemoue Bakayoko and Aster Vranckx are on loan deals from Chelsea and Wolfsburg respectively which run out, with both midfielders destined to return.

Yacine Adli should go out on loan, while Fode Ballo-Touré and Matteo Gabbia could be sold. Even Charles De Ketelaere is not certain of a spot in the squad for next season given his disappointing debut campaign.
 
AC Milan will say an emotional goodbye to Zlatan Ibrahimovic after tonight’s game against Hellas Verona at San Siro, it has been confirmed.

MilanNews writes how it is 1255 days since his return to the club for a second spell back in December 2019, and he took a young squad by the hand in a difficult moment, transforming the fortunes of the club.

They have selected the eight most significant moments of his second spell with the Rossoneri, starting with the first goal after his return in the 2-0 win over Cagliari in Sardinia, when he and Rafael Leao started up front together and the Portuguese winger also scored.

Then there was the penalty that began the comeback against Juventus in a pivotal match of Pioli’s new era, which ended 4-2 to Milan. He scored a brace later that season in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo that secured a Europa League spot and was also followed by Pioli’s renewal, banishing the Rangnick rumours.

He scored a brace in the derby win against Antonio Conte’s Inter in the 2020-21 campaign, and then at the Stadio Maradona in a 3-1 win against Napoli, the first in 10 years in Naples.

His free-kick to shut down and respond to the provocations and insults of Roma fans in the 2-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico stands out, as does the bicycle kick in the 1-1 draw against Udinese last season.

Finally, when he took the record for being the oldest goal scorer in Serie A history despite the 3-1 defeat against Udinese, which would also be his last appearance.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic will bid farewell to AC Milan after tonight’s game against Hellas Verona, and the management are already working on his potential replacement.

Calciomercato.com writes how ‘the show must go on’ despite Ibrahimovic’s exit and the considerable impact he had on Milan’s recent history. Milan seems to have very clear ideas on how to fill the charismatic void left by the Swede, and the name is Marko Arnautovic.

Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara are looking for an experienced striker who would work alongside Olivier Giroud and another younger centre-forward on whom an investment will be made, and Arnautovic is ‘the first choice’.

Continuous contacts are ongoing between the Milan management and the entourage of the Austrian, who at the age of 34 feels ready for one last spell at a top club, especially after scoring nine goals in 20 appearances this season.

Bologna have decided that Arnautovic can leave for an amount in the region of €7-8m and they are wating for a first concrete step from Milan to sit down at the negotiating table.

Even if Arnautovic arrives that does not close the door to Lois Openda or Folarin Balogun joining given an investment is needed on a name for the future and they are different profiles to the former West Ham star anyway.

The departures of Ante Rebic – valued between €10-15m – and Divock Origi could raise funds for the budget and free up wages to then bring in the younger striker that is so badly needed.
 
One of the missions for the summer transfer window is to reinforce the right wing role, and Domenico Berardi’s name continues to do the rounds.

According to what Corriere dello Sport (via SempreMilan.it) are reporting, the time may have finally come for Berardi to leave Sassuolo in order to make his leap to a top club. Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara admire him a lot, but the Neroverdi continue to ask for a high figure.

Howerver, the CEO of Sassuolo – Giovanni Carnevali – seems to have opened up to the idea of them losing their captain before next season.

“He is our icon and the desire is to continue with him in the coming years too, we will also see what his will will be and we will try, as always, to find the best solution for everyone,” he said.

Berardi is valued by Sassuolo at around €15-18m, a figure that Milan want to reduce possibly with the inclusion of some counterpart such as Lorenzo Colombo – returning from loan to Lecce – or Matteo Gabbia.
 
Rafael Leao has become the real superstar of this AC Milan side and the man who the Rossoneri have relied on numerous times over the past two years to win the Scudetto and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

A lot of Milan fans would say that Leao, along with Mike Magnian and perhaps Sandro Tonali and Theo Hernandez, is arguably the most important player in this side, and they would not be wrong to say so.

With the Portuguese player renewing his deal until 2028, he has shown his loyalty and love towards the red and black shirt, but this is also a strong signal from the club too about how serious the project is.

So, with Leao having extended his stay with us until 2028 at least, it would be a good idea to look at which areas he can work on to take his game to the next level and get closer to becoming the best left winger in the world, and maybe one day challenge for the Ballon d’Or.

Other than Vinicius junior, there are not many left wingers in world football better than Leao, but there is still the general consensus that he is not quite at the level of the Brazilian superstar. What can he do to reach that next level?

Consistency
The first thing that Leao needs to work on is his consistency. He has had many great moments in a Milan shirt and has won a number of games on his own, with the hat-trick of assists against Sassuolo to seal the title, the brace against Inter in the derby earlier this season and the solo run against Napoli in the Champions League springing to mind.

As great as these moments have been, however, there have been times in which Rafa has been off form and not as effective as he can be. The start of this calendar year is a great example, as he failed to find the back of the net for over 12 games.

Part of that was down to Pioli for playing him out of position but when you are as good as Leao is, that is a very long off period for his standards. He needs to start becoming decisive more regularly.

Decision making
Another thing that Leao needs to do is add more goal contributions into his game. In all fairness, he has been improving on this aspect every season since being here, as he has come a long way from the seven goal contributions (6G, 1A) in his first season.

In the 2022-23 campaign he is up to 21 goal contributions (13G, 8A) with a game still left to go in the league. Although his numbers this season have been great, us Milan fans know he can hit double figures in both goals and assists as well as push for 20+ goals in a league season.



Additionally, with the acquisition of a top striker as Milan are expected to make this summer, his numbers should naturally go up with the attacking threat more spread and more space to exploit.

Hard yards
Finally, one thing that Leao needs to up is his work rate. This goes under the radar at times and in the past Simon Kjaer has also joked around by saying that they do not mind as long as Leao wins games, but if he tracked his man it would make our powerful left flank even more dangerous.

This season, there have been a few incidents in which Theo Hernandez was left with two men to try and cover because the Portuguese winger did not track back and that can hurt the balance of the side.

Overall, Milan fans are rightly over the moon about Leao renewing, given he is the one player in the squad who is capable of deciding games on his own and he continues to make the fans at San Siro stand on their feet.

Once the ex-Lille man improves on the aspects listed above he will be a force to be reckoned with, but despite all that one thing Leao should never change about his game is his smile. Whenever he plays with that smile, he brings a joy to us Milan fans, something we all missed since the times of Ronaldinho.
 
Both Ilkay Gundogan and Pep Guardiola have spoken on the future of the midfielder amid reports linking him with a move to AC Milan.

As MilanNews reported, it was yesterday morning that Corriere dello Sport director Ivan Zazzaroni told Radio Dee Jay that Gundogan would like to move to Italy and Milan: “I think Gundogan wants to come to Italy, from what we know he is getting closer to Milan.”

Gundogan played a match-winning role in City’s FA Cup final triumph over bitter rivals Manchester United yesterday, scoring after 13 seconds with a stunning volley and then scoring with another volley in the second half to restore their lead.

As Goal report, both Gundogan and his head coach Guardiola were asked after the game what the future might hold for the German international given that his deal has just a few weeks left to run.

“To be honest I don’t need these kinds of days to feel appreciated and special. I know that, that’s why I’ve been here for 7 years, with all the ups and downs I’ve had had. Nothing is decided yet so we will see what will happen,” Gundogan said.

Guardiola also spoke after the game, confirming that he wants the ex-Dortmund midfielder to sign a new deal: “Hopefully. I wish.”

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Gerry Cardinale is in Italy and is expected at the stadium tonight for AC Milan’s season finale against Hellas Verona, which will be the last in a rollercoaster season.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) write this morning, it is Cardinale’s first season in control of the club. He is the founder of RedBird, the fund that own Milan, and in recent months he has lived his role from afar.

He has remained in daily contact with Giorgio Furlani – the CEO who was appointed in November – but has always chosen to delegate a lot of responsibility because he has trust in those in charge.

This visit to Milan makes sense above all to start making strategic decisions for the 2023-24 season. Milan must plan the market based on the budget, which won’t be far from €50m plus proceeds from sales, and above all on strategies.

Will there be the margins to bring in more experienced players who offer guarantees, or will the directive be to sign moretalented youngsters? A meeting regarding the plans will take place with Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara.
 
AC Milan are still in talks with the agents of Reiss Nelson in a bid to tempt him to reject Arsenal’s advances over a renewal, a report claims.

According to Calciomercato.com, the Milan management see Nelson as great opportunity because he is young, he can play on both the right and the left wing and his contract is set to expire in a few weeks.

Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara held new talks with Nelson’s agents recently but were informed of Arsenal’s willingness to renew his contract. The offer from the Gunners is a four-year term at the same figures as he currently receives.

Nelson is thinking about his future, given he would like to play more and Milan’s courtship has not left him indifferent, given he made 11 league appearances this season but averaged a goal contribution every 40 minutes.

In the coming days, the forward will communicate his decision. The Rossoneri are in the running, but the Gunners are convinced that they will be able to extend the contract of an important squad player.
 
AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli seems inclined to field an unchanged line-up for the season finale against Hellas Verona compared to the team that won against Juventus last weekend.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) writes that Mike Maignan should be in goal for the Rossoneri, with Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez the back four in front of them.

Rade Krunic is expected to start in midfield despite the rumours that he is not in the best physical condition, while Sandro Tonali should be next to him and Brahim Diaz the central attacking midfielder.

Junior Messias is tipped to get the nod on the right flank with Rafael Leao on the left and Olivier Giroud the centre-forward.

Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Krunic, Tonali; Messias, Diaz, Leao; Giroud.

Probable Verona XI (3-4-2-1): Montipo; Magnani, Hien, Ceccherini; Faraoni, Sulemana, Abildgaard, Depaoli; Ngonge, Tameze, Djuric.
 
Mauro Icardi seems destined to leave Galatasaray in the summer and the possibility of a return to Serie A is there, according to a report.

As Calciomercato.com reports, Icardi fired Galatasaray to the Turkish Super Lig title with 23 goals and 8 assists in 25 appearances. At the age of 30, such a season has brought him back to being one of the most interesting opportunities of the upcoming summer window.

A small hint about his future has already been given by his wife and agent Wanda Nara who, via a story on her Instagram profile, has published a message that seems like a farewell to Turkey.

“I congratulate all the Galatasaray fans. Today we celebrate with you, our dream comes true. We will never forget our Galatasaray family, we will carry you in our hearts forever. I feel part of this big family, I knew Mauro and I knew from day one that he would raise this trophy. I remember very well the day I convinced him, in Paris,” she said.

Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek has spoken about his desire to sign Icardi on a permanent deal from PSG, where he is still under contract until June 2024, but the possibility of a return to Italy could attract the striker more.

Juventus are interested in the event that Milik and Kean leave, which is added to the uncertain future of Vlahovic. Milan remain in the background and could look at Icardi as a low-cost option if Arnautovic were to not arrive.

Roma meanwhile are also in the running and if Abraham were to depart then they are seriously evaluating pairing Icardi with his compatriot Dybala.

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