With his current contract winding down and amid ongoing speculation over his future, as things stand, Giacomo Bonaventura will be leaving Milan this summer.
The 30-year-old has been with us since 2014, and during that time he has contributed 35 goals and 24 assists in 173 appearances for the club.
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Unfortunately, injuries have taken their toll on him over that six-year period too, as he has also missed 73 games with constant muscle issues blighting him in 2017 before he underwent knee surgery in November 2018 as he spent a significant spell on the sidelines.
Despite that though, he has returned to the first-team this season and has four goals in 21 appearances, and after playing a key role in the win over Lecce on Monday night, it again raises the question as to whether or not he should get a new contract or if Milan are right to let him leave when his current deal expires.
As noted by Calciomercato, he certainly won’t be short of options if he does depart, with Roma, Torino, Fiorentina, Atalanta and Benevento all said to be interested in the Italian stalwart.
Those aforementioned injury troubles coupled with his age will complicate any hopes of reaching an agreement on a new deal, and naturally from a Milan perspective, it would surely make a lot more sense if Bonaventura was willing to take a lesser salary and accept a lesser role in the side moving forward.
If the numbers work and there is an understanding between the parties concerned over his role in the coming years, then perhaps the pieces begin to fall into place for a new deal to materialise and one which suits all.
That said, perhaps there is enough of an argument in favour of reaching an agreement with Bonaventura given what he can still offer this team moving forward as an experienced and quality member of the squad.
Despite those injury issues, he still shows real intelligence on the pitch both in his movement and positional awareness as well as with his technical quality on the ball. He’s never lacking in commitment or desire and still poses a real goal threat, and as one of the longer-standing members of the squad now, that experience and sense of what it is to play for Milan which was passed onto him in 2014 arguably holds more weight than many would think.
As noted above though, while that all supports the idea of offering him new terms, it all depends on the financial aspect of the deal and if Bonaventura is ultimately willing to accept that he may well be a squad player moving forward and will be paid as such.
Milan will potentially be looking to compete in Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Europa League next season, and so that will require quality and depth in the squad to be able to pursue success on multiple fronts and that’s where a player like Bonaventura could yet prove to be invaluable.
Nevertheless, if there are significant changes to be made at Milan this summer, it’s also easy to see why freshening things up and looking to bring in a talented replacement makes sense too. Putting sentiment aside, it’s perhaps the smarter move to make space in the squad and move on to bring in a player to fill that void with a long-term vision in mind.
Poll for an upcoming piece to get your thoughts.
Giacomo Bonaventura set to become a free agent at the end of the season. What would you prefer to see happen?#ForzaMilan #MilanTalk
— Milan Talk (@MilanTalk1) June 24, 2020