After a horrific campaign that saw them finish eighth in Serie A and miss out on European football, Milan have wasted no time in remodeling their squad and rebuilding ahead of the 2025/26 season. They've sold Serie A Midfielder of the Season Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City as well as their star left back Theo Hernandez to Al-Hilal, bringing in Pervis Estupinan from Brighton to replace the latter.
As for the midfield positions, Milan have signed Torino's Samuele Ricci for an initial €23 million, as well as bringing in one of the greatest midfielders of the 21st century in Luka Modric. Modric spent the past 13 years at Real Madrid, during which time he would win four league titles and six UEFA Champions League titles, as well as lead Croatia to the World Cup Final and become the first-ever Croatian recipient of the Ballon d'Or.
Despite approaching 40 years of age, Modric remains capable of working his magic and has remained a valuable contributor for Real, racking up 63 appearances across the 2024/25 season and playing in each of their Club World Cup matches. But despite bringing in two superb midfield additions, there's reason to believe that Milan are eyeing yet another acquisition in the center of the pitch.
Milan have spent the entire summer negotiating for Club Brugge's Ardon Jashari, a boyhood Milan supporter, but so far, they have unable to convince the Belgian side to let him go. Having recently submitted an offer of €38m with bonuses included, Milan failed to satisfy a Club Brugge negotiation staff that has dug their heels in and remained unwilling to lose their midfield asset.
Club Brugge are reportedly holding out for €40m and at least €35m in fixed fees, prompting them to reject Milan's latest bid. According to Corriere dello Sport, €33.5m of that offer was guaranteed, although Brugge would have received another €2.5m in bonuses if Milan were to qualify for the Champions League at any point in the next five years.
Jashari has been absent from Club Brugge's first two competitive fixtures of the season, and whilst he has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, he's reportedly holding out for a move to the San Siro. “We don’t want to offer too much, but he wants to come at all costs,” stated Milan president Paolo Scaroni on Tuesday.
Milan sporting director Igli Tare has already come out and stated that the club will not improve their offer, despite knowing that Club Brugge are demanding €40m. It remains to be seen whether the Rossoneri will throw more of their chips onto the table for Jashari or walk away and pursue a different target like Valencia's Javi Guerra, but one thing's for sure: with less than three weeks left before their season opener, Milan have plenty of work cut out for them in the transfer market as they look to get back into the European positions.
