When assessing the current Milan squad, it’s relatively easy to identify the individuals who have a pivotal role to play for the club in the coming years to help us get back to the top.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has continued to improve, develop and mature into a fundamental figure in the side, making 190 appearances for the club already despite only turning 21 a matter of months ago.
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The Italian international is not only a crucial part of our current plans, but with his whole career still ahead of him, he should be considered equally as important in the long term too as the quality that he has displayed on a consistent basis again this season has proven how important he is to our ongoing pursuit of progression to start competing at the top again.
Meanwhile, Theo Hernandez arrived last summer looking to kick on after a stuttering start to his career with Real Madrid, and he hasn’t looked back since as he’s wasted little time in displaying his ability.
The 22-year-old has work to do to improve defensively, and given that is a crucial element in being a left-back with the subsequent defensive responsibilities it entails, his attacking play has been a breath of fresh air this season to give us a new dynamic going forward.
He’s contributed six goals and three assists in 25 appearances thus far, and so combine that with the hope that he will show improvement and maturity defensively as he continues to gain experience and plays a leading role for us, it underlines how important he is too.
Last but not least, Ismael Bennacer has made a superb impact in the heart of our midfield this season, adding tenacity, solidity, technical quality and a much-needed jolt in terms of being capable of dictating a game and the tempo in a possession-based style of play.
Still only 22 himself, along with Donnarumma and Hernandez, Milan have the possible makings of a core group of players who can help lead our push to compete in the coming years if the right pieces are added around them, while the likes of Alessio Romagnoli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic could also be added to that category too.
PSG interest must be met with emphatic response
However, with all that said, La Gazzetta dello Sport note how all three are being touted as possible PSG transfer targets, with former sporting director Leonardo plotting a potential triple swoop.
If Milan have ambitions of becoming a top side again, the response to any such enquiries or offers for the players in question should be emphatic. The trio should simply not be for sale for any price at this point, end of story.
There may well be arguments in favour of cashing in and using those funds to strengthen the squad as a whole, particularly in the case of Donnarumma with his current contract set to expire in 2021. However, that strategy simply doesn’t hold up when we have three young players who have their best years ahead of them and have proven themselves to be key pieces in our current squad.
It sends the wrong message both in terms of our ambition to the rest of the squad as well as risking the wrath of fans who want to see the squad improve and not lose key players, which in turn might offer the impression of us being a selling club.
If PSG opt to step up their pursuit of any of the three names in question, it’s hoped that the Milan hierarchy are prepared to rebuff them and focus on how to build around our star trio rather than having to work out how to replace any of them this summer.