After weeks of a standoff, now Milan and Club Brugge are close to defining the transfer of Ardon Jashari to the Rossoneri. The turning point came yesterday after the meeting between the player, the president of the Belgian club, Bart Verhaeghe, and the CEO Bob Madou: the midfielder reiterated that he would not accept any other destination and that his firm desire is to wear the Rossoneri shirt.
In fact, Jashari thus nullified the courtship from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia, forcing Club Brugge to keep the word that had been given to him, namely to sell him in the face of a record offer for the Belgian championship. Milan has put on the table 33.5 million plus another 4.5 in bonuses, of which 2 are easy to reach (linked to Allegri's team qualifying for the Champions League in the coming years). And yesterday they made an additional effort by increasing the fixed part to 34 million.
This will be the amount transferred from the Italian club, if there are no further twists in the coming hours. The dialogue between the clubs had the acceleration that the fans were waiting for, and yesterday evening the exchange of emails was underway to define the bonuses in detail and the payment methods. In short, the road is finally the right one, and already today the white smoke could arrive. At the Rossoneri headquarters there is certainly more optimism now than in the past, but only when there are the signatures can one smile and put an end to the summer saga.
Jashari Ready to leave
Jashari today will not depart with Club Brugge for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Salzburg. This is another of the points on which the midfielder reached an agreement with his management. He will therefore remain in Belgium and wait for the green light to take a direct flight to Milan. He could land in Italy already this evening or tomorrow to undergo medical examinations and sign a five-year contract worth 2.5 million (and increasing) plus bonuses. With him, Allegri will have at his disposal a midfield of notable substance that also includes Ricci, Fofana, Modric, and Loftus-Cheek, in addition to Musah and Bondo. At least one of the latter two will be sold. Now it will be up to Max to decide how to use Ardon. Certainly, despite having just turned 23 a few days ago, Jashari already has a certain experience: he won the title of best player in the last Belgian championship and also knows the Champions League.
Milan to the Milanisti
After Modric, who since childhood dreamed of wearing the Milan shirt because he was a fan, and Ricci, who admitted to La Gazzetta dello Sport that he has been a “Milan sympathizer” since he was a child, another new signing has Rossoneri DNA in his blood, since as a child Jashari went a few times to San Siro to watch the team play. A detail? Not for the directors, who are building a group with a strong Milan identity, of which Gabbia and the historic core of the current group (Leao, Maignan, and Tomori) are naturally part.
With the additions in midfield of Ricci, Modric, and Jashari, Milan has replaced Reijnders. And the sum collected for the Dutchman from City (57 million fixed plus 15 in bonuses) has in fact been spent to purchase the cards of the three reinforcements (the Croatian arrived on a free transfer). The 34 million for Jashari is a major investment that arrived after the team’s return from the tour, a sign that, just under two weeks before the start of the Coppa Italia, it was necessary to accelerate. And the Rossoneri management did so, at the cost of paying more than initially planned for the card of the 2002-born player from Cham. The hope is that he quickly adapts to our football and does not encounter the difficulties of the other former Club Brugge player, Charles De Ketelaere, who had to go to Atalanta to fully showcase his talent. Tare, the big sponsor of the operation, is convinced that with Ardon the ending will be different. The Rossoneri fans hope so too.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
