GdS: Milan prioritise Maignan renewal but Lens and Lille duo are potential replacements

AC Milan’s priority remains to extend Mike Maignan’s contract, but they do not want to be caught unprepared if he decides to leave.

La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Milan have seven months to try and figure out who will be their starting goalkeeper next season. It has been up in the air ever since it became clear that negotiations for Maignan’s contract renewal were not proceeding smoothly.

As it stands, Milan currently have a goalkeeper whose contract expires in June, a situation they experienced with Gianluigi Donnarumma, who Maignan ironically replaced.

Plan A and Plan B

So, what’s Milan’s priority? Renewing Maignan’s deal, without doubt. Mike is a man with a lot of pride, and it won’t be easy to convince him to forget the tensions of the past negotiations and sign a multi-year extension.

A few months ago, Milan chose not to sign off on the deal at €5m per season, considering that Maignan was coming off two seasons significantly below his level. However, the first few months under Allegri have been impressive, worthy of Mike’s Scudetto-winning performance.

So, an attempt will be made, Maignan will make his considerations, and other teams will surely approach him. Chelsea, who made an offer for him in the summer, are currently considering whether to go back in.

If he does decide to leave then the management cannot afford to be left empty-handed. They could focus on a high-profile goalkeeper like Alisson, who has one more year left with Liverpool and a salary of €8m net per year.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

The alternative is that they could choose a goalkeeper on the rise. Two names in this regard are on their list: Robin Risser of Lens and Berke Ozer of Lille. They are two of the goalkeepers Milan is following and, perhaps not coincidentally, they play in France like Maignan, who arrived from Lille.

Risser is a French goalkeeper born in 2004 meaning he’s just 21 years old. He was part of the youth system at Strasbourg and is doing very well at RC Lens, currently top of the league with the second-best defence.

Ozer is at a different stage in his career. A Turkish international from Izmir is 25 years old, played for Fenerbahçe in 2021-22, then played for Westerlo in the Belgian Serie B, then again in Turkey with Umraniyespor and Eyupspor.

At Lille, he became known primarily as a penalty saver: officially, he’s already saved four this season, one in the league and three in the Europa League, against Soulé (Roma), Zivkovic (PAOK) and this week against Bedia (Young Boys). More importantly, he’s the goalkeeper who saved three penalties in a row against Roma.