2 days ago
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There was a wave of joy in the AC Milan world on Saturday evening, as Mike Maignan’s contract extension was made official.
Suggestions had emerged during the week that Maignan would put pen to paper on a new multi-year deal, and the announcement of his new deal until 2031 did indeed come. It has been met rather predictably by a widespread position reaction, given the season the Frenchman is having.
It looked for a while like things would be very different, but the arrival of Massimiliano Allegri and Igli Tare has managed to mend the situation in recent months. How exactly did we get from certain exit to long-term commitment exactly, though?
Winter of discontent
Rewinding 12 months, things were very different. Back in December 2024, with Milan struggling under Paulo Fonseca, the CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada reached an agreement with the goalkeeper to extend his deal.
It is widely accepted that a key part of this was that Maignan would get a pay rise from €3m net per year to €5m plus bonuses. The signing and the official announcement seemed like just a formality, but then things went cold as the former Lille man struggled for form in January and February.
Around about this time, it also became obvious that there was a big risk of failure to qualify for the Champions League, seeing a lot of revenue go up in smoke. With the arrival of Sergio Conceiçao, Maignan became the captain, yet his mind seemed to be made up as the directors went back on their word.
After the sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City, Chelsea came in with an offer of €15m, and Maignan wanted to leave. Milan deemed the bid to be far too insufficient and decided to keep him, hoping Massimiliano Allegri and Igli Tare could mend the rift.
Despite this hope, the Rossoneri went into 2025-26 feeling certain that it would be Maignan’s last year at the club. They also began to think about replacements too, with all kinds of names linked from Zion Suzuki to Alisson Becker.
The frost thaws
So, what changed? A fundamental component was certainly Allegri’s arrival. The new coach was the one who demanded that he was not sold to Chelsea: instead the Italian was adamant on the idea of keeping him as captain.
Allegri showered Maignan with praise publicly to begin the charm offensive. Then, team-mates like Matteo Gabbia and Adrien Rabiot did their bit when facing the media, but also behind closed doors in the dressing room.
Also worth noting is the role of the new goalkeeping coach Claudio Filippi, a figure very much liked by Mike. Allegri has given credit to Filippi for his role, but above all the fact that Maignan has returned to his best levels on the field certainly helps matters, as does the fact that the team are competitive again.
Milan’s directors waited for the right moment just as the icy relationship was starting to thaw. They re-established dialogue by submitting a third renewal proposal that essentially returned to the parameters of the first offer.
The €7m net per year – including €2m bonuses – put forward would make the Frenchman the highest paid in the squad alongside Rafael Leao. While there were some doubts about if this would be accepted, the Frenchman clearly appreciated the economic effort.
A statement of intent
Maignan spoke to the club’s official media channel after renewing, stating: “I’m very, very happy. It’s a renewal we’ve been waiting for for a long time: it took patience, but we got it. I’m very, very happy. I’m happy in Milan, with my family too.
“I wish many good things for the Milan fans and for my family too. I want more trophies, more successes. I’ll be here with my family for another five years. To all the Rossoneri fans: look, I’m still here! Forza Milan.”
The key extracts are without doubt about his happiness on a personal level with life in Italy and life at Milan, and also that burning competitive desire to keep winning. With Allegri and his staff the results have taken a sharp upturn, and Maignan evidently feels he is committing to a serious project.
This is why the extension of his contract feels like quite a significant moment in the RedBird Capital era, especially with all of the other things floating around. They have got one of the best players in the world in his role to stick around for the long term, paying him what he is worth.
Signing a replacement with the same ability would always be difficult, but to replace Maignan’s leadership and his charisma feels almost impossible. That is why it makes such sense from a sporting and financial perspective, even if this deal will take Mike into his mid 30s.
While ‘simply’ keeping hold of a player will never generate the same attention as making a big splash on a new signing, this felt like one of those situations where Maignan walking away on a free transfer would have caused a storm.
Instead there is calm and happiness. What will the ramifications be on the wage structure moving forward, with so many other renewals to do? For now we can only speculate, though this gives the impression that the desire is there to build something serious and competitive.
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