Moretto: Man Utd, Arsenal, Dortmund – the clubs Jashari snubbed to join Milan

Ardon Jashari was being followed by many different clubs around Europe, but he stuck to his word and pushed to join AC Milan only.

It was a transfer saga that ended up dragging on for a couple of months, but in the end Club Brugge were worn down and Milan got their man. Jashari officially signed for Milan on Wednesday, penning a five-year contract with the team he grew up supporting.

Fabrizio Romano reported in his ‘here we go’ announcement that the total package will be €39m, which shows that the Rossoneri are willing to make a sizeable investment on the Swiss. However, they had plenty of competition to beat in order to satisfy his desire to join.

‘I only want Milan’

Matteo Moretto has revealed some further interesting background on Jashari in a video on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel, and he spoke about some of the other teams that tried to make a move.

“The player was fundamental in this negotiation, in these past months. His desire to join Milan was decisive: Jashari has been a Milan fan since he was a child, he has always been emotionally tied to the Rossoneri colours,” he said (via Radio Rossonera).

“Even before Club Brugge traveled for their Champions League match, he pushed hard, having a very tense face-to-face meeting with the Brugge management. He asked not to be called up because he only wanted Milan.

Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images

“Until just a few hours before the final agreement between the clubs, he insisted so much that over the past few weeks he made the atmosphere at Brugge unbearable. The player requested to be sold countless times, and he pushed again and again.

“The situation became irreconcilable for Brugge, and the Belgian club found themselves almost backed into a corner, forced to satisfy the player’s wish, not because he simply wanted to leave Brugge, but because he only wanted to go to Milan.

“Milan were the only club in the race because over the weeks Jashari had turned down every other team that showed interest, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, and many clubs from the Bundesliga and Premier League. Even in Italy, there were inquiries, but Jashari said: ‘I only want Milan.’

“I took note of a few clubs; in 2022, I tweeted about Jashari in relation to LaLiga. Even back then, I was told that this talented young player was being followed by a host of important clubs. Let me name a few: Real Sociedad, Arsenal, Ajax, Nice, and also Napoli.”