AC Milan’s disappointing attempt at defending their Serie A title and elimination from the Champions League at the hands of bitter rivals Inter have questions being asked of Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan future. But there remain other issues that need resolving ahead of next season if the club are to push on from this season’s disappointments.
Milan have strong players in some areas of the pitch, but their backup options don’t possess the same level of quality that they need to compete at the top of Serie A, let alone in the Champions League on a regular basis.
The signings AC Milan made after their 2021/22 scudetto win, much like the subsequent season as a whole, have been underwhelming. With close to €50 million spent, the squad has seemingly regressed in terms of quality. Although injuries have played their part, the drop from scudetto success to occupying the Europa League qualification places is concerning.
While some of the previous summer’s transfers were made with a view to the future such as Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw, players like Divock Origi may be looked at as collateral for new signings, as reported by La Gazzetta della Sport.
Which 10 players could AC Milan let leave this summer?
AC Milan have four players out of contract whose deals are not to be renewed, those being Antonio Mirante, Ciprain Tatarusanu, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The four have made just 12 appearances between them, with Mirante yet to play a single minute for the Rossoneri this season and looks unlikely to, given the importance of their remaining fixtures.
It also looks unlikely that the club will take up the options to buy that were involved in the contracts of both Sergino Dest’s and Aster Vranckx’s loan deals, with the former being seen as a ‘bad experience’ by Gazzetta and the young Belgium midfielder not taking his chances this season.
Yacine Adli will also leave the club this summer, whether that be in the form of a loan deal or a permanent solution is yet to be seen but he has fallen out of favour, so a move back to France may be on the cards.
In the cases of both Fode Ballo-Toure and Origi, their futures depend on offers, in the case of the left-back, it is difficult to say where he has interest. Yet, for the Belgian forward, a loan back to England could prove a viable option, if not it seems like the route may lie in a permanent move to Turkey, where there is interest in the 28-year-old.
The end also appears near for Junior Messias‘ time in Milan. The Brazilian is appreciated at the club, but his departure could then add funds for an attacking right-back, which is seen as a priority this summer. Ante Rebic’s time at the Stadio San Siro seems to be up as well.
Although these 10 will almost definitely leave the club, more could yet depart if offers come in for players that are reasonable for all parties. There will undoubtedly be interest in the club’s key players such as Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan, though offers for these more important players will have to be above their market values if Milan are to even consider letting them leave.
