Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu departed as free agents. Now, eyes are on Franck Kessie who has an expiring contract by the end of next season. Milan want to renew his deal in order to not to lose him as he is a very important asset for the club and Stefano Pioli's system.
Kessié will be participating in the Olympics, scheduled in Tokyo from 22 July to 8 August. The coach of the Ivory Coast, Beaumelle, has in fact included him almost at the last minute among the three over- quotas , given that Kessie has already turned 24, and he obviously did not feel like refusing such an opportunity. However, that means that Kessié will miss the meeting of Milan's pre-season in July 8. Then, Kessié will participate once again with his national team in the African Cup of Nations in January which will be held in Cameroon.
The obligations that Kessié has are demanding which worries AC Milan. But, that's not the only issue, as his contract is due to expire in one year. He currently earns 2.2 million euros net per season while his entourage asks for 6 million euros in order to extend the deal. However, Elliott is willing to offer 4 million euros per season plus bonuses.
Now, it's a race against time for the Milan managers as they cannot afford to lose the player since many teams are keepin a close eyes on the situation like Arsenal.
These reasons make Milan prioritise the extension for the former midfielder of Atalanta. "It is true that no one is indispensable, in the meantime, however, continuing to lose players on a free transfer, especially the best ones, does not help to win", writes Calciomercato.com.
