Speculation has been rife that Gianluigi Donnarumma could be on his way out of Milan this summer, but it’s hoped that the hierarchy formulate a different plan to boost finances.
As noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 20-year-old is said to be valued at €50m and is the obvious choice for the new management to be sacrificed in order to fund their moves elsewhere in the squad.
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The time to balance the books for the last financial year has been and gone after June 30, and following the agreement with UEFA to withdraw from the Europa League next season, the Rossoneri are certainly in a more favourable position.
It does though raise the question as to whether it is absolutely necessary to sacrifice Donnarumma this summer? The argument in favour is obvious, in that he is the most valuable figure in the Milan squad and isn’t short of interest, and so it would be the most straight-forward solution for various reasons.
Nevertheless, given his quality and what he means to the club having come through the ranks, it’s still hoped that Paolo Maldini, Zvonimir Boban and the hierarchy can come up with an alternative solution.
Who could be sold by Milan this summer?
Ricardo Rodriguez
The obvious first answer is the Swiss left-back, as Sport note that with Theo Hernandez on the verge of a move to Milan, Marco Giampaolo can surely offload Rodriguez and perhaps even one of Diego Laxalt or Ivan Strinic too, with Barcelona said to be keen on our current first choice left-back.
The report above suggests that he could fetch a transfer fee of around €15m, while Goal.com note that Hernandez will cost us €20m. That seems to take care of itself in terms of the investment in the Real Madrid ace, and so Rodriguez could be the first to go.
Samu Castillejo and Fabio Borini
As per MilanNews, there are doubts over the pair’s ability to fit into Giampaolo’s preferred 4-3-1-2 system next season, and so both are likely to be heading for the exit door.
While Borini’s commitment, determination and tenacity should be lauded, he lacked the necessary quality to match it last season, and simply proved to not be good enough.
Castillejo showcased more class in the attacking third, but the Spaniard was often inconsistent and struggled to emerge as that match-winner needed by Milan. With no real need for wingers next season, an exit would seem to make sense.
Lucas Biglia and Franck Kessie
While Kessie should arguably hold some weight in the transfer market given his ability and future potential, MilanNews note that Biglia’s wages also make him a candidate to be axed this summer.
Having already seen Riccardo Montolivo, Jose Mauri and Andrea Bertolacci leave, Milan can’t afford to be left any lighter in midfield and so if the duo were sold, their fees would be needed to bring in replacements and reinforcements to suit Giampaolo’s brand of football.
Nevertheless, while Biglia is often limited in his defensive role and Kessie continues to underwhelm, especially in the final third, perhaps sending the midfield pair on their way would be an alternative solution. It’s easier said than done though to get rid of certain players.
Suso
MilanNews note, via the paper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, that the easiest way to bring in a significant capital gain is to sell one of Donnarumma, Patrick Cutrone or Suso.
As noted above, it’s a personal preference that Donnarumma doesn’t leave, while Cutrone will surely have a major role to play next season if Giampaolo goes with two strikers up top.
In turn, that leaves Suso. The Spaniard had previously been touted as the most likely sacrifice, most notably due to question marks over his ability to play more centrally while Football Italia note that he has a €40m release clause in his contract.
With Lucas Paqueta set to play the trequartista role, a versatile Hakan Calhanoglu available to play multiple roles coupled with Giacomo Bonaventura’s return from injury next season, albeit it remains to be seen how much he has left to give, offloading Suso should surely be the priority.
Again though, perhaps the interest and genuine offers just aren’t there, making Donnarumma the most likely sacrifice which in turn would be a huge shame. Nevertheless, Suso and perhaps one or two others could make up that difference while giving Milan funds to find replacements, and as per the tweet below, €26m has already been saved on wages from the exits confirmed on Monday.
Milan, 26 milioni a bilancio risparmiati grazie ai contratti in scadenza https://t.co/syQPyjzuMY pic.twitter.com/wL3LyvFfQv
— Calcio e Finanza (@CalcioFinanza) July 1, 2019
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