AC Milan continues in the winning path as they beat Hellas Verona 1-3 yesterday away from home. The Rossoneri brought home three important points and have created a small gap with Juventus (+3) after the Bianconeri's draw against Juventus.
For now, Milan are focusing on the Serie A journey and also the Europa League, hoping for the best possible outcome out of these two competitions. But, there are plans at Casa Milan to strengthen the team for next season in order to be more competitive, especially in the European stage.
The top priorities for Milan in the summer transfer market of 2024 will be a central striker and a left-footed central defender. The names circled in red on the notebooks of Giorgio Furlani, Geoffrey Moncada, Antonio D'Ottavio, and advisor Zlatan Ibrahimović are those of Joshua Zirkzee (or Benjamin Šeško) and Alessandro Buongiorno. The club, however, will also need a new full-back, a central midfielder, and perhaps another forward. But what's the budget for all these possible operations?
Currently, Milan could count on about 90 million euros: 50 million from the highly probable qualification for the next edition of the Champions League and 40 million euros from the buy-backs of Charles De Ketelaere, Alexis Saelemaekers, Rade Krunić, and Junior Messias. However, they will need at least an extra 40-50 million euros to conduct a transfer campaign as intended by the club. How to find that amount? There's a threefold strategy.
Milan's preferred strategy, as told by Pianeta Milan, for the upcoming transfer window, is to raise funds through a series of 'minor' sales. For example, by placing Fodé Ballo-Touré and Divock Origi elsewhere for 3-4 million euros each (Origi also carries a hefty salary), selling Daniel Maldini permanently to Monza (for 4-5 million euros). They could also sell two forwards, Lorenzo Colombo (valued at 15-20 million euros) and Marco Nasti (5 million euros), currently on loan at Monza and Bari, to the highest bidder.
The proceeds from the resale percentages of some players, such as 50% of Marco Brescianini, currently at Frosinone but targeted by Atalanta and Juventus, could make up the rest.
However, there's also a chance that Milan's primary strategy to accumulate funds for the summer transfer market might not succeed. Perhaps because the clubs interested in the above-mentioned players only offer loans, thus depriving the Rossoneri of significant revenues. At that point, Milan would consider selling an important player, albeit not among the top players in the squad.
The main candidates are Pierre Kalulu (25-30 million euros, which would be entirely capital gains), Fikayo Tomori (at least 50 million euros, liked by Bayern Munich and Premier League clubs), and Ismaël Bennacer (release clause of 50 million euros in his contract). It's worth noting that selling one of them would also mean having to replace them afterward.
As the third and final transfer market strategy to acquire a new forward, Milan, if neither the first (preferred) nor the second (tolerated) strategy materializes, would then have to consider selling one of their top players. Mike Maignan, Theo Hernández, or Rafael Leão: the first two are under contract until June 30, 2026, and the third until June 30, 2028.
It's more likely that one of the Frenchmen would bid farewell, and if one were to leave, it's probable that it would be the goalkeeper. For three reasons: he demands a high salary renewal, he's prone to injuries, and he would potentially be easier to replace in the market with a promising prospect. With his potential sale (70-80 million euros), the AC Milan management could easily purchase a forward and a new goalkeeper.
Source: Pianeta Milan
