After the first three disappointing matches of this season, practically all members of AC Milan's squad, technical staff, and club management have come under fire. Even Davide Calabria, the captain of Milan and a player who has grown with the Rossoneri since his early days in the youth academy, has not been spared.
This is now the toughest moment in the right-back’s career, as he finds himself in limbo between this complicated situation and an expiring contract.
Whistles against Calabria, and there is also Emerson Royal...
This morning, Tuttosport provided an update on what has happened over the past month and a half. First of all, the club signed a new right-back, Emerson Royal. The amount spent (€15 million) and the explicit request from Fonseca have resulted in Calabria no longer being guaranteed a starting spot.
In fact, after starting in the matches against Torino and Parma, the Milan captain made way for the Brazilian in the starting lineup for the game at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. When he was substituted during the first match of the season, Calabria was booed by the Rossoneri fans, a gesture to which the captain did not react, and which he will aim to respond to with his work on the pitch and through his actions.
Calabria's contract renewal...
Another situation to manage amidst all of this is related to his contract renewal. At the end of this season, in June 2025, Calabria’s contract with Milan will expire, so it is reasonable to think that new talks between the parties are taking place in these weeks to seek a contract extension. Rumors in recent months suggested that the right-back had requested an increase from €2 million to €4 million net salary. However, according to the daily Turin-based newspaper, the Rossoneri captain is only asking for a slight raise, up to €2.5 million. At the moment, there are no signals from the club, but it's also true that Milan cannot afford to stretch negotiations over such a small difference and risk losing their captain for free. Moreover, as the newspaper adds, Calabria is one of the few remaining Italians in the squad and certainly among the very few – given his career path – who truly knows what it means to wear the Milan shirt, having done so since he was a child.
