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AC Milan had a revolution in the summer transfer window, to the extent that over two-thirds of the squad has now changed.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, 24 of the 35 players who were part of the squad last season are no longer present. Of the 27 players in the summer 2024 squad photo (seen below), 16 of them are not at Milan any more.
In some areas the changes are obvious: five potential right-backs have passed through Milanello and one has remained. Emerson Royal, Calabria, Terracciano, Walker and Jimenez have all left, for various reasons.
Chukwueze, Liberali, Pulisic, Joao Felix, Morata, Jovic, Abraham, Okafor, Camarda, Omoregbe and Sottil have gone too in what is a full clear-out.
Those who remain
Few have had a peaceful year without risking being sold, but Gabbia is one certainly. Loftus-Cheek is 99% certain: he was quickly locked down by Allegri before even seeing him on the pitch.
Pulisic and Pavlovic have only a hint of fear: for Christian, there were rumours of Saudi offers, which did no last very long, while for Strahinja, nothing went beyond a few suggestions of a winter transfer.
Young players
The talents deserve a separate discussion. Torriani and Bartesaghi are highly regarded in Italy and abroad, but Milan chose to focus on them and didn’t question them. Things went very differently with Liberali, and with Camarda as well, but for very different reasons.
Lyon, led by Fonseca – the coach who launched Torriani – were interested in the goalkeeper, but nothing came of it. Several teams, not least Roma, were interested in Bartesaghi. Here too, Allegri has put his faith: he’ll be the first reserve on the left, for Estupinan and perhaps even Pavlovic.
Passing ships
There are those who have been at a crossroads. There was a moment when Bayern considered making an offer for Rafa Leao. There was a summer day when Youssouf Fofana was the focus of attention from Saudi Arabia, which never materialised.
Instead, both of them were never really close to leaving the club. Given the purchasing power of the possible buyers, it is likely that an offer would have been evaluated by Milan because of its size. However, it didn’t get to that.
The risks
Three players, more than others, took risks. Chelsea put Mike Maignan at the top of their list for goal and seriously considered bringing him in for the Club World Cup. For a week, it was thought a deal worth around €18m would be finalised. Allegri demanded that he stay.
Fikayo Tomori, on the other hand, took a risk in January. The Rossoneri reached an agreement first with Juventus and then with Tottenham, but Fikayo twice said no because he wanted to stay and prove his worth.
One step away
Santiago Gimenez was close to leaving in the last 48 hours of the transfer window, when an exchange with Dovbyk filled papers, websites and social media discussions. Santi stayed and he does not want to look back.
The Milan fans wanted to keep him, and he’s been a Milan fan since he was a child and now he has another chance.
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